Frozen Powers II - Sweet Vengeance
by Aeluna
Summary: [AnnaxKristoff] [ElsaxOC] [HansxOC] A year and a half has passed and everyone has adjusted to their new lives. However, someone's set on revenge, and they'll go to extreme measures to achieve it; no one is safe when two kingdoms are at war. [Contains dark scenes] [Complete] [Sequel published] [Series Complete!]
1. Chapter 1 - dedicated to KLime

The man chuckled to himself as the Queen of Arendelle ran over to him happily, her meeting with the King of a small, lesser known Kingdom named Reinazar finally finished. She had been discussing trade negotiations with him and, Odd assumed, trying her very best to seem interested, while keeping her eyes painfully wide in an attempt to stay awake. That was what had happened at her last meeting, at any rate.

Elsa grinned as she wrapped her arms around Odd happily, and he spun her around quickly before gently placing her back down, her smile mirrored, just as wide.

Now, for most people, to randomly start spinning the Queen around would have been considered absolutely crazy, and no doubt, they would have been sent to one of the lunatic asylums, which were hidden somewhere on little islands, deep in the Norwegian Sea. Most people hated them, the Queen especially, for she had overheard - with much sorrow - her parents discussing the option of sending her there until she learnt to control her powers. She still felt guilty about it now, for it was on a trip to one of the said asylums, in which her parents had supposedly wanted to study the quality of life there and see if it would be suitable for their daughter or not, that their ship had sunk.

Odd's mind wandered for a second, as he considered how bizarre it would be normally if a random man began was to spin the Queen around and he couldn't help but chuckle quietly. Of course, he was no random man - he had helped to save Elsa's life, and as a result, people didn't really mind what he did.

That, and the fact that he and the Queen were engaged to be married.

They hadn't rushed into things; Odd and Elsa had been together as a non-official couple for a year and a bit, or so, now, and just two months before, he had proposed to her, to which she responded by squealing happily and jumping on him in an excited, enthusiastic kiss. By now, she was twenty six years old, already sixteen and a half months late for the marriage deadline which stated that she had to have married by her twenty fifth birthday, but after everything that had gone on, despite many of the rather displeased nobles and foreign royals, Elsa and her family could hardly care less.

Odd rubbed the back of his head where Elsa had knocked him over onto the floor. He could still feel the stinging if he thought too much about it. Even if she could hide it better, could adapt to fit the situation, the Queen really was similar to her younger sister.

_Wonderful_.

In all seriousness, though, Odd didn't really mind Elsa's sometimes peculiar antics - he loved her for who she was, and she loved him just the same. After all, he was a simple commoner—though one who had, after all he'd done, at least been knighted—and she was the Queen.

_No,_ he reminded himself, _that's not true._ _You're the **official Arendelle Forest Master and Protector,**_ _silly_. He had to bite back a laugh - Anna and Elsa really were inventive with names... Possibly. It was fair enough giving him a title, because it meant that he could stop working as a stable boy and gave him something to do during the day. As the "official Arendelle Forest Master and Protector", he had to scout the forests, looking for any signs of danger and helping people if they got hurt or lost. That being said, he only really did it when the weather was horrid, because Elsa always got a few of her guards to go and check things out there; it was only when it got more dangerous that he would go (much to the Queen's displeasure) because he knew the forests so well.

It wasn't a difficult job at all, but the title at least made it sound (somewhat) like it was an important job, and he was appreciative of that. It wasn't that he was one for posh names, but simply because actually being someone other than 'the stable boy' or 'that guy from the forests' stopped other kingdoms from frowning upon his and Elsa's relationship.

At least a little, anyway.

The Southern Isles, especially, were still angry about Elsa's engagement to him, for originally, she was going to marry their second eldest Prince, Prince Bjørn.

Bjørn... That name still made Odd's fists clench. He had come to Arendelle when Karleif and his mother, along with their band of trusted followers, had began targetting royalty. They had been trying to kill off the royals, in search of blood which had magic in it, so that they could use it themselves and become powerful at magic.

Odd couldn't quite remember what they planned to do once they had achieved this - couldn't even recall if it had been mentioned. Still, the thought still made his blood boil.

Back on track, though. Bjørn had come to Arendelle requesting that he and Elsa became married, using the excuse that 'they had to keep the royal bloodline going'. _Little pervert_, Odd thought savagely to himself.

In the end, though, that hadn't been the reason he had wanted to marry Queen Elsa. Instead, he was planning to use Arendelle's money to pay off the debts of the Southern Isles.

_A thief and a pervert. _Odd's mind thought, _What a messed up bloke._

In the end, it resulted that Bjørn had been possessed by Karleif's mother, and had been partially controlled by her. It transpired that he wasn't actually as greedy as he seemed, and was almost a nice guy, except for the fact that he still took advantage of people.

Odd might have taken the time to know him. That is, if the spirit of Karleif's mother hadn't killed him when he tried to get away from Arendelle. Naturally, the Southern Isles were angry to have lost a Prince. And not just a worthless one like Hans, either.

Overall, it had been a horrible day. Some of the Royals had ended up drowning as they tried to flee Arendelle, their boats completely burned down by the two sorcerers - Karleif and his Mother - and the church was left as a skeleton of what it had been. Work had been done to restore it, but it was very difficult.

Karleif, his mother and their followers had been crushed when the church's ceiling had fallen down upon them, but unfortunately, Elsa had been trapped inside at the same time. However, unlike her enemy, she seemed to have an in-built defence mechanism, and when the rubble had began to fall around her, Elsa's ice magic had frozen her body solid, so that she was protected.

At first, Odd had feared that the Queen would have remained frozen forever, and not be able to come back to life, but luckily, with the help of Grand Pabbie, they had worked out how to save her. It had taken a while for her to thaw, but when she had, everything had been perfect.

Odd could still picture that amazing day in his memories.

_"Odd!" The voice carried on the wind, and it had a beautiful, melodic sound to it. "Odd! Wait!"  
He didn't need to look to know who that voice belonged to, but he did anyway, and there was Elsa, standing in the doorway, calling for him. His face broke out into a large grin, as he saw her.  
For a moment, she just stood there, and then she ran towards him, holding up the bottom of the tattered wedding dress with her good arm - the one which wasn't broken still - so that she wouldn't trip over it. For all of the time she had been frozen, the gown had been stuck to her, and it was impossible to remove.  
Odd grinned as she made her way over to him, and he jumped off of Storm Chaser quickly.  
The crowd parted as their Queen ran through the middle, and Odd couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was when she smiled - even if she did have hundreds of scratches all over her face, including a rather nasty gash across the side of her forehead.  
She quickly reached Odd, and he caught her in his arms, giving her a massive hug, that one only gives to someone they truly love. He pulled away, and Elsa smiled at him gently, and her joy over ruled the stinging pains all over her body. She looked at him in the eyes, and then suddenly, not caring that at least one hundred people were watching, she pulled him closer and gave him a long, gentle kiss, as she wrapped her arms around him._

Coming out of his little moment of thought, he smiled at Elsa, and she pecked him gently on the cheek.

"Hey, Odd." She greeted, smiling, and he returned the gesture as he took her hand, and together, they began to walk through the corridors of the castle together, heading to lunch.

"So," Odd said casually, "How was the meeting?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Don't make me laugh; it was just as dull as usual."

Odd chuckled. "That bad, huh?" He asked, and his fiancée nodded, sighing. "What was wrong this time?"

Elsa shrugged slightly. "The usual. I'm sure the king's a nice man, but he really is rather dull, as always - he kept going on about how many valuable trading products the kingdom of Reinazar has, and how they are a good alliance to make, as if we were weak ourselves." She sighed, as she looked at the new pictures on the walls, paintings of freshly blossomed spring flowers, warm summer meadows, crisp trees in autumn, and the gentle snow of the winter. "The only thing he overlooked is that I had thorough training in Norwegian, and so I know how to read between the lines. Whenever I went slightly off topic, for example if I began talking about another country, he'd rush to get back on topic. Seems a bit desperate, don't you think?"

Odd nodded, agreeing. "Just a bit." He joked, and Elsa giggled, as the pair entered the dining hall and sat down. Anna and Kristoff were sat around the table already, happily munching away on their ham, lettuce and tomato sandwiches, and, Odd noticed with amusement, the Princess also had a bowl of chocolates hidden under the table. Every so often, she would turn to her daughter, now aged eighteen and a half months old, and help to feed her a spoonful of soup, although the child was perfectly capable of feeding herself by now. In fact, the elder Princess simply used it as an excuse, for as she did so, her hand would drift towards her candy, as she hastily popped one in her mouth, smiling at the sweet taste.

She didn't realise that Kristoff knew exactly what she was doing. Didn't know that he couldn't care less, either.

Odd shook his head happily as he sat down next to Elsa, and Anna looked up at them, beaming. Ever since they had gotten together, she had been constantly ecstatic for them, and, Odd assumed, she felt quite smug about setting them up too.

"Afternoon," Kristoff greeted, as he took a bite of his sandwich happily. "How'd the meeting go?"

Elsa sighed. "I think I may have dosed off at one point, briefly." she said in response, and that was answer enough. Anna giggled slightly at her sister, as she waved the spoon in front of Mia's face to catch her attention.

"I'm so glad I'm not Queen." She said, and Elsa nodded in agreement.

"Some aspects of it are nice, but I'd trade with you any day." She joked, and Anna smiled, before considering.

"Actually..." She said, as she helped feed an eager Mia another spoonful of her lunch. They little child really did love solid foods, even if her favourite was soup, which could hardly be considered solid. Anna had never heard of a child's favourite meal being soup, but considering she had eaten it ever since she could actually stomach things other than milk, she must have developed a taste for it. "I'll take you up on that offer. Then the kitchen staff wouldn't get annoyed when I ask for chocolate."

Elsa frowned, and Odd shook his head at her. "Why does it annoy them?" He queried.

Anna shrugged slightly, and Kristoff chuckled. "She usually spends about half a day in the kitchens, asking for more chocolate." He explained. Elsa rolled her eyes.

"No one would guess that you were a chocoholic, would they?" She teased, and Anna pouted at her sister's sarcasm.

Just then, some quiet little footsteps sounded outside, and the door opened with a slight creak. At first, it appeared like no one was there, but then there came the sound of overly-excited laughter, as a little snowman came skipping into view.

"Olaf!" Elsa and Anna cried out in sync, happily. Kristoff smiled, as he greeted, "Hey, Mate," and Mia laughed at him at him, crying out "O-af!" in an attempt to recreate the snowman's name, reaching for him with her little arms, excitedly. Odd just stared at the snowman, his face a mixture of shock and confusion.

Elsa noticed this quickly, and smiled sheepishly. "Oops. I guess you've never met Olaf, have you?"

Odd shook his head, and Olaf came trotting over bouncily.

"Hiya, Elsa!" He greeted warmly, then he looked at Odd. "And... who are you?"

Odd was temporarily shocked, but Elsa reacted first.

"This is Odd, my fiancé" She said, indicating to her fiancée. "Odd, this is Olaf."

Olaf bounced around happily at the opportunity to make a new friend. Jumping higher, making his body parts separate momentarily, and he launched himself at Odd, wrapping his arms around his legs and hanging on tightly.

"Hi! Nice to meet you! My name's Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

Odd stared down at the strange little snowman clinging onto his legs, unsure.

"Uhm..." He said, unsure and not knowing what to think. It wasn't everyday you came across a walking, talking snowman, after all. "Nice to meet you, Olaf... I guess?"

Elsa smiled at him, and had to hold back her laughter. Still, though, he reacted better than most people did, but that being said, he was accustomed to Elsa's magic more than most people were. Especially over the week when she had been getting ready to marry Bjørn, Odd had grown used to her random outbursts and, as was clear now, the unbelievable scale of her powers.

"So, Olaf," Elsa said, "Where have you been? I haven't seen you around in over a year, at least!"

Olaf giggled happily, as he bounced around to see Mia. Reaching up, completely ignoring Elsa, he tickled the girl under her chin, and was unfazed when she took his wooden arm and began playing with it, completely amazed by the strange item. Soon, though, she got bored of it, and dropped it on the floor, before it ran on fingertips back to it's owner, and Olaf clapped his hands together happily.

He lifted up his head with his hand to get a better view, and Mia laughed as she took his nose, and began to suck on it, and the snowman, not having the heart to take it off of her, began to sob like a child. Anna, however, knew better, and quickly snatched it away, replacing it with a spoonful of soup, and returning the vegetable to Olaf, who squealed with delight.

Anna turned to Kristoff, glaring. "You know, I'm blaming that on you and Sven! You're a bad influence on Mia!"

Kristoff raised his eyebrows. "So, she's not allowed to eat healthily?" He asked, and Anna shook her head, her pigtails flying.

"Not that, duh! Of course she can eat healthily. All I'm saying is that she needs to be a normal child, and normal children don't eat carrots randomly. At least not at her age; maybe I'll let her off when she's older."

"Normal kids wouldn't be eating soup." Kristoff pointed out, but Anna waved her hand dismissively.

"Soup's cooked, it has a _combination_ of flavours, I can let her off for that." She replied, scowling, though her eyes shimmered amusedly.

Kristoff glanced helplessly at Elsa, who just shrugged and sent him a look which read, "Just accept it."

He chuckled, and nodded at Anna, muttering, "Yes, yes, I'm an awful person, I shan't do it again."

Elsa turned back to Olaf.

"So, Olaf, where have you been?" She repeated, not annoyed that he'd ignored her - he was only being Olaf, after all.

Olaf turned to her, as if he'd just realised that she'd spoken. "Oh, right!" He said, his voice cheerful. "I went looking for Santa!" The way he said it, it almost seemed as if he thought it was obvious.

"Oh. Of course. Silly me." Elsa replied, but Olaf looked a little down. "What's wrong?"

Olaf shrugged. "Oh, Santa doesn't exist. I couldn't find him. I didn't stop searching, but..." He said, and Elsa felt bad for him. It was Odd who acted first.

"Of course he does!" He said, as if he were talking to a young child, perhaps to reassure Mia, although whether she understood or not was another matter. "But you can't find him unless you know exactly where he lives. Where do you think he lives?"

Olaf thought for a moment. "Australia?" He suggested, and Odd had to fight the urge to laugh loudly.

Elsa giggled. "No, No, No. He lives at the North Pole." She corrected, amused at the snowman's naïvety, and he smiled.

"Oh! So I have to go to the North Pole?"

This was a little more difficult, but for Odd, it was easy to explain why he couldn't go to find Santa.

"Well, no one knows where he actually lives, Olaf." He said, calmer in the snowman's presence now. "So you can't find him. Maybe on christmas, you can wait up for him though, with Mia?"

Olaf gasped excitedly, his head being raised by his hands.

"Great idea, Olf!" Olaf cried, and Odd crossed his arms, a little annoyed this time, but he remained calm.

"My name's Odd." He corrected, trying to sound gentle, and Olaf giggled.

"I know!" He cried, "That's what I said!" Waving, the snowman turned around and bounced out of the hall - literally, jumping a few meters at a time - and the door closed with a slight thud.

"Well, he seemed like a... nice guy." Odd said, as he rubbed the back of his neck and sat down again, picking a sandwich from a platter on the table. Elsa nodded, smiling.

"He's lovely, even if he is a little strange." She commented, and Odd nodded, agreeing.

* * *

Hans lay in his prison cell, the small bowl of - what was it? Gruel? - laying untouched at the other end. He was a prince, and he deserved better than this.

He snarled as he sat up, and looked outside the cell, through the bars, at the plain wall on the opposite side. Sighing, he lay back down, his twisted mind reeling.

Ever since he had received the news of Bjørn's death, Hans had been even more riled up than before. It wasn't that he was ever close to his brother - quite the opposite, in fact - but the fact that he had been killed, in Hans' mind, by Elsa herself. He didn't know the exact details, but as he didn't know, his mind was free to come up with it's own theory, and as a result, he'd taken full advantage of the opportunity.

But how to get revenge?

Not for his brother's death, no - he didn't care about that - but rather for his own public humiliation. He needed to get back at Elsa, and her brat of a sister, Anna, but how?

The cries of a struggling man sounded through the cell walls, and Hans could hear the guards shouting, "Next time, try not to pick a fight with someone superior to you!" Hans grinned - he loved the divisions between the poor, and the wealthy. It made him feel special, like someone who had a worth.

Even if he was stuck in a dark, dingy cell, twenty-four, seven.

Suddenly, something clicked in his mind.

_Fight_.

That was it!

He rushed over to the bars of his cell, and tried to force them open, but strong though he was - three and a half years in a prison cell meant that he had plenty of time to work on his muscle power - he could not pry the bars open. He snarled, angrily, and banged his head against the metal in his state of aggravation.

Oh well. Nothing to do but wait.


	2. Chapter 2 - dedicated to KLime (guest)

Elsa woke up, panting heavily, and she rubbed her eyes tiredly as she sat up. She could feel her hair clinging onto her face, wet from sweat, and her nightdress was plastered on her body.  
Groaning, she stood up, and walked over to her en-suite bathroom, pumping some water into a basin and splashing her face with the freezing liquid. She dabbed her face dry with a towel, a few droplets still running down her cheeks, and she looked at herself in the mirror.  
Sighing at the sight, she pumped more icy cold water into the basin and leaned her head over, so that she could quickly wash her hair, remove the sweat from it, and then she wrapped it in a towel, before returning to her room, at a loss for what to do.  
Her mind wandered back to the dream - no, not a dream, a nightmare - she just had, and she involuntarily made her hands clench into a fist, flexing her fingers as if she was ready to fight. The images flashed through her mind: Hans standing over her; Raising the blade; Her sister freezing before her eyes. It was normal - she was used to these sorts of dreams, although she hadn't had one for many months. The next part of the dream was so much worse.  
The cell door had burst open, and there Hans stood, grinning wickedly, at his side the ghost of Bjørn, also smirking evilly, his eyes glinting with the desire for revenge. Elsa knew all about his death, and she couldn't help but feel responsible, even if it was, in no way what-so-ever, her fault.  
To a normal person, it wouldn't have been such a bad nightmare, nothing to worry about; just two people standing in the entrance to a prison cell, even if they were both grinning like possessed lunatics. However, to Elsa, it was extremely concerning - in fact, whenever she had a nightmare, she usually spent the next day jumping at every little thing. It wasn't like she was just being wimpish, though, rather that she feared what would come in the future. Before, when Bjørn had been around, she'd had a strange dream, in which a child was shot, her sister's ship had sunk, and she'd received a warning not to be foolish.  
Somehow, she still managed to remember the words.  
_"A foolish fool that is not yet foolish enough to be classified as a foolish and foolhardy fool, cannot fool those who are more foolish and more foolhardy than their own foolish personage is; instead, those who are more foolish than that person will consider that person to be a foolish, foolhardy fool when it is in fact themselves who are more foolish."_  
At any rate, her dream had come true. Heidi - Odd's younger sister - had been holding her baby daughter, when she had been shot by a cloaked man, who quickly disappeared afterwards. The girl had been too young to be a mother, at just thirteen years of age, but understandably, she was still distraught about it.  
Then, later on, as Anna and Kristoff were traveling to Corona, to temporarily rule the kingdom in the absence of the King, Queen, Princess and Prince Consort. During the trip, their ships had sunk, just as had happened in Elsa's dream.  
Naturally, now, coincidence or not, she was extremely worried that her dream would end up coming true. After all, the last time Hans was on the loose, he'd nearly killed Elsa and, even more worryingly, her sister. If he was free again, there was nothing to stop him trying to target them again, except now, they'd have to worry about Mia, too.  
Sometimes, Elsa really hated her royal heritage.  
Walking over to the window, the Queen scanned her kingdom, noting that though it was early in the morning - the clock in her room six o'clock - it was already bright out, the sun beaming warmly down upon the kingdom. She sighed as she opened the window, the warmth hitting her like one of her cousin, Rapunzel's, famous frying pans. She never felt the cold - it didn't effect her - but she could still feel warmth, and ironically, she preferred it lovely and hot, rather than the cold, despite her powers.  
After a few moments, Elsa grew bored once again, and strolled over to her door, opening it quietly and tip-toeing down the corridor, to where she knew her fiancée's room was located. Similarly to Kristoff, Odd had grown up in the wilds, spending roughly half of his life growing up in the Arendelle forests, where wolves and wild cats roamed freely, and where one had to be constantly on alert to survive.  
For a thirteen year old teenager, staying alert was even more vital - after running away from his abusive father, Lars, at such a young age, Odd had no defenses from predators, and had to rely on quick thinking alone. Now, though, while he was not nearly as burly as Kristoff, he'd developed quite good muscles, and wasn't one to pick a fight on at random.  
At any rate, after all of the years, Odd had adapted to be an early riser, and Elsa knew that he'd almost always be awake when she needed him.  
She recalled her nightmare as she knocked on his door, and cringed slightly at the thought. A few seconds passed, and Odd appeared in the doorway, his face lighting up at the sight of the Queen.  
"Oh, hey, Elsa," He greeted, grinning, "You're up early today."  
Elsa nodded, sadly. "Yeah," She commented, and Odd studied her face for a few seconds.  
"Bad dream?" He concluded, and she nodded in affirmation. He put his arm around her, and gently patted her back, as he pulled her into his room. "Let me just get my jacket on, then we can go and see if the kitchen staff will allow us to get a snack before breakfast."  
Elsa smiled, and Odd put on a face that said, 'I wonder...' and the Queen giggled at the comical expression.  
"Would a hot chocolate do for you, Ma'am?" He asked, and his fiancée nodded, happily, as Odd pulled on his jacket. He wore a basic army uniform, which Elsa had commissioned for him as something to wear - though he wasn't royalty, as he was the Queen's fiancée, he would be soon. Besides, as Elsa argued, he had a very important job - something he didn't agree with, but he didn't press the matter anyway - and as such, he had to look smart. In truth, he and Kristoff figured that she just wanted to get him used to the royal ways, and wanted him to fit in.  
"Come on, then, Ma'am." He said, taking Elsa's hand and kissing it, making her giggle and push him playfully, gently.  
"Stop teasing me," she replied, and she frowned grumpily. Odd chuckled, as he pulled her out of his room and into the corridors.  
"Okay, okay!" He replied, as he grinned cheekily and pulled her to the staircase, hopping onto the banister with Elsa on his lap, and they slid down together, laughing gleefully.  
Elsa glared at him, although she was only being playful. "You'll pay for that, Mister!" She teased, trying not to let her voice get too loud in case she woke the whole castle up. Lifting up the bottom of her dress, she gently pressed down on the ground, making the wood freeze up and Odd, caught off guard, slipped on the ice and fell.  
"Not fair!" He accused, "You've got an unfair advantage!"  
Elsa giggled, as she made herself and Odd a pair of ice skates each. Taking his hand, she began to drag him over to the kitchens, gliding easily over the ice while he stumbled a little. "Come on, Forest Boy." She said, and thawing the ice and their skates, they trotted into the kitchens to get a hot chocolate.

* * *

Mia laughed happily as she quietly crept out of bed and walked over to her toy chest, silently opening the lid and rummaging around for a few moments, before she found her prize - a small wolf toy that she was extremely attached to.  
"Ka-i!" She giggled, trying to say the name 'Kari' but not quite able to pronounce the letter R. She bounced the toy around, before toddling over to the window and glancing outside.  
"Ook, Ka-i!" She told her toy, pointing outside, before she frowned. Squinting, she noticed someone moving, and smiled. "Ka-i! Ka-i, Ook!" Giggling, she rushed to her door and opened it quietly, slipping out into the halls and running on her little feet towards the stairs. Rushing down, nearly tripping as she went, she hurriedly reached the entrance doors and skipped into the courtyard.  
"Ello!" She cried to the boy before her, who spun around quickly, panicked. He was standing by the stables, with Odd's horse, Storm Chaser, in his hands. He glanced nervously around, then dropped the rope, rushing to a rock and launching himself onto the horse's back.  
"Huh?" Mia thought, then, being a smart child, she understood what was going on. Storm Chaser was a very valuable horse, being a thoroughbred, and, it turned out, actually had amazing bloodlines. The only reason Odd had got him was because he had found the horse as a foal, injured in the forest, and had nursed him back to health.  
"You!" She shouted, pointing accusingly. "Fief! Fief!" She screamed, and there came a low growling as the doors to the castle burst open.  
Seier stood there, his hackles raised, growling threateningly, and the boy slapped Storm Chaser's rear, making the horse bolt. The large, now full-grown wolf chased after, but the thoroughbred was bred for speed, and quickly out-ran him. He stood, panting, at the edge of the courtyard, and howled regretfully. Mia toddled over to him, and wrapped her arms around the wolf, sobbing sadly.  
She did so love that stallion.

Anna awoke with a start at the sound of a wolf's howl, and she rushed quickly over to the window. The first thing she noticed was Storm Chaser running quickly away through the kingdom, a young boy upon his back, and though she couldn't see his face, she could tell he was panicked. Opening the window, she heard a child's crying, and her eyes shot down to the ground where Mia was sobbing, mortified. Anna gasped.  
"Mia!" She yelled, grabbing her dressing gown and launching herself out of the window, grabbing onto a rope and lowering herself down. Kristoff quickly followed suite.  
"Mia, Sweetie!" Anna cried, rushing to her daughter and engulfing her in a bone crushing hug. "Sweetie, you mustn't run away like that!"  
Mia sniffed. "No 'un away!" She said through the tears, "Jus' payin!"  
Kristoff frowned. "Paying for what?" He asked, and Anna couldn't help but giggle.  
"I think she means playing, Kris." She said, rolling her eyes, before she turned back to her daughter. "Still, though, Mia... You can't just come outside without telling Mummy. Me and Daddy will get scared."  
Mia's eyes trailed to her father. "Papa... Oo angy?" She asked, her voice heavy with guilt and regret.  
Kristoff's heart melted at the sight of his little girl, and he sighed. "No, Champ." He said, walking over and picking her up, throwing her up in the air and making her laugh. "We just want you to be safe. Okay?"  
Mia nodded, happier now that her doubts had been reassured.  
"Yes, papa!" She looked over to Anna, and extended her arms to her. "So-ee Mama." She apologised, and her mother giggled, as she bounced her on her hip.  
"Well, I'm awake now, anyway." She commented, "How about we go and wake Elsa up? We could pay a visit to the trolls - I need to talk with Bulda, anyway."  
Kristoff nodded.  
"Okay then." He said, before turning to Mia. "Do you want to go see the trolls?"  
Mia giggled, clapping her hands together. "Yes! 'Ulda, 'Abbie!"  
Anna laughed, as she swung her daughter around. "Yes, we can go and see Bulda and Grand Pabbie. Maybe you can play with the littles, too?"  
Mia cried out in joy. "Oo-ay!" She cheered, and the group began to make their way back to the castle. Anna smiled.  
"Well, we need to get you dressed. You can't go out in your night dress now, can you?"

* * *

Elsa smiled to herself as she fashioned a dress in front of her mirror. It wasn't too extravagant - quite a simple dress, really, similar to her ice dress that she'd made when she made her palace, as it was her favourite design. Twirling around to check she could move in it, she nodded to herself before going to find Odd, who was in his own room, doing goodness-knows-what.

_Odd_. Elsa smiled happily, and it amused her that when they'd first met, Anna had been trying to get them together. Amazingly, her plan actually worked for once.

Now, here she was, one and a half years later, and soon to be marrying him! They had waited a while to get engaged, but as a result of Anna's constant nagging, they agreed to be wed sooner than they had originally expected.

It was a month away, yet, but Elsa's stomach was a tangle of nerves, still. She loved Odd with all of her heart, and she knew the feelings were the same for him, but that didn't stop her worrying. It was fair enough - after all, the last time she had attended a marriage, her own marriage, her fiancée had abandoned her when she was attacked. What was more, it turned out, he was not only trying to use her as a 'baby factory', something she knew and accepted, although admittedly with much apprehension and anger, but he was also planning to use his to-be position in Arendelle to pay off the Southern Isles' debts.

That was something she couldn't forgiven him for, even though in the end, he'd wound up dead.

She shivered at the thought, at the way she could say it so bluntly.

Turning her head to look at her hand, she smiled at the ring on her finger. She'd never expected Odd to ever get her a ring - even with the money from his new position, which was more a present from the Queen to him than anything - but he'd managed to do so. Luckily, the jewellers in town was fond of the Queen, even indebted to her - she'd saved his young son from falling into the sea once - so he was only too happy to help Odd out and make a ring for Elsa.

It had been a little harder for Kristoff to get Anna a ring, admittedly. He'd fashioned her's himself, spending countless nights chipping away at a piece of ice, until he'd managed to make a beautiful accessory. He then had to sneak away from the castle in the dead of night to go to Grand Pabbie who, with his troll magic, was able to alter the ring, so that it was no longer cold and would not melt. He'd even made the eye of the ring into a diamond, so that the whole ring was a bright, shining blue colour, that matched Anna's beautiful, warm eyes.

Elsa stood up and walked over to her window. It was seven o'clock now - definitely enough time for Anna to get herself and Mia ready to go and visit the trolls.

Walking over to the door, she opened it carefully and ran to Odd's room, where she found her fiancée sitting at his desk, doodling.

Walking over, she whispered, "Hey, Odd," And he jumped in surprise. Taking a glimpse at his work, she smiled.

"Wow," she said, lost for words, and odd frowned at her.

"You don't like it?" He asked, cautiously, and Elsa was quick to respond.

"No, no, no!" She cried, "I love it! You really have a talent, Sweetie."

Odd smiled in return. "Thanks, Elsa." He said, and then stood up. "Come on, let's go." Turning, his hand brushed on the paper and the ink smudged. He sighed.

"Ah , well." He commented, "I'll fix it later."

Elsa nodded, and followed him out, after sneaking a quick glance at the image again. It was a drawing of her and Odd, arms around each other, laughing, but sadly, the ink had smudged the man's face out, leaving it unreadable and barely recognise able.

She frowned - she couldn't help but feel it meant something. Something important.

She shrugged as she rushed after Odd. After all, it was just a doodle, right? She smiled, reassuring herself as the pair ran through the corridors gleefully, and skidded to a stop in front of Anna's door.

"Come on, Baby Sister!" Elsa called through the door, knowing full well it annoyed Anna - she didn't like to be called a baby - but she didn't care anyway. "Let's go!"

Inside the room, Elsa could hear Anna huffing. "You're going to pay for that, Elsie." She replied, her voice too innocent when she said her sister's name. Elsa giggled, and dragged Odd away, rushing to get to the stables before Anna attacked her with a feather duster.

The pair laughed as they sprinted through the halls, but ended up falling on top of the hay very un gracefully, getting it stuck in their hair and on the clothes.

"Oops." Elsa laughed, and Odd chuckled too. He was sad that he'd lost Storm Chaser, naturally, but he wasn't too worried - he was convinced he'd find him again, so all's well that ends well.


	3. Chapter 3 - JYFrozenAddict

Hans smiled, as he turned the dead, black, mangy rat over a small, feebly flickering flame. The revolting creature had scuttled into his barren cell an hour before, no doubt searching for food, and now, here it was, slowly cooking, its neck snapped clean in half, leaving the animal dead. It had been difficult to make a fire, but even if he was a prisoner, he was also still a prince, so he had managed to convince the guards to let him have a couple of small planks of wood, to "patch up his broken bed".

He laughed as he pulled the rat away from the fire, and ripped off a chunk of the succulent flesh. It had been so long, years, since he'd eaten meat, and it made his mouth water.

After finishing off his little meal, he licked the scraps of meat off of the bones, and stored them under his pathetic little pillow. Climbing up onto his bed, he rested against the wall and licked the grease from his fingers, savouring the flavour, as he scowled.

He was a Prince, a man of noble blood - how had he been reduced to this?

Oh, right.

_Elsa and Anna. _

He growled in the back of his throat, as he clenched his fists angrily, and punched the wall, although this just resulted in pained knuckles. Groaning, he gently cradled the burning red skin, and the gears in his brain began to turn.

He'd been working on his master plan for a while, now - at least a month had passed since he had first thought of it, which was plenty of time to lay down the foundation for the scheme, so to speak.

He glanced up casually, as a guard came to his cell, a small painting clutched in his hand.

"Here," He said, dismissively, as he passed the book through the bars. "You have a minute, then it's time up."

Hans smiled charmingly. "Thank you, kind sir," He said, but the guard only huffed. Hans had to fight the urge to punch him for the rude dismissal of a Prince, but what was he now, but a worthless, lifeless body slowly wasting away in a dingy prison cell.

Well, not for long. He grinned as he studied the image of Odd, a portrait of him only made a month or so before. Even in prison, gossip travelled fast - he knew of the man's convection with Queen Elsa of Arendelle.

It couldn't be more perfect.

Handing the portrait back once he'd locked the picture in his mind, saved the face in his memories, he nodded briefly to the guard. After all, it was best to stay in their good books. At least for a while.

It was just too easy. He chuckled contentedly as he lay back down upon the wooden bed in his cell, and stared at the ceiling. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a knife - contraband, in the prison, but it made him feel powerful, even reduced to nothing as he was - and scratched off a mark for another day passed in his 'home'.

He smiled to himself as he crossed off the diagonal line of the tally. That made three hundred and twenty groups of five - three hundred and twenty families who he'd deal with as revenge.

A family a week. Plus a few stragglers here and there. Perhaps not quite perfect, but certainly nearly enough to make his time seem worthwhile. And yet, easily enough to land that final blow to Arendelle once and for all.

After all, you know what they always say:_ revenge is a dish best served cold._


	4. 4 - dedicated to drannikttam (guest)

Odd laughed as he ran away from Elsa and Anna, who were both giggling gleefully, as they pelted him with snowballs. He knew he deserved it - he had, after all, just sent a tidal wave of water at them, sort of. And he was pretty proud of it, too - he'd made himself a simple canon, the physics of which he'd taught himself as a boy, and then had filled a large balloon with icy cold water.

It had been difficult to find the balloon - they were only recently invented, and often broke. It had taken him an hour to actually fill it with water without it breaking, a very difficult feat to achieve, but he'd managed it. After placing it in the catapult, he only had to wait for the two royals to come outside, something that was inevitable on such a warm day as today, and the moment they did, bam!

Of course, now, he really had no chance of escaping the snowball flying above Elsa's head, one metre in diameter. He called for Sven, considering his own horse was still nowhere to be found, but the reindeer just grunted, as if to say, "You deserve whatever you get."

Odd groaned, and Kristoff, who had just walked outside, chuckled at the scene before him, but he wasn't too concerned. This wasn't the first time it had happened, and besides, he didn't want to intervene - though he didn't love Elsa in the same way as he did Anna, she was like a sister to him, almost, and he cared for her. With the Queen's marriage just a week away, she was naturally very nervous, considering the chaos of before, so it was good to see her completely relaxed again.

"Help me, Kristoff!" Odd called out, but the man shook his head.

"You wish!" He called out, and he glanced at the massive snowball above Elsa's head. He couldn't help but laugh at Odd's amusing worried face, and he chuckled at the sopping wet Queen and Princess following him, their hair plastered to their face, their dresses clinging to their bodies, but they were both too caught up in chasing their 'prey' to be concerned about their garments.

Mia, hearing the commotion, came trotting out on her short little legs, and squealed as her mother, Aunt and to-be-uncle went running past, and, giggling, she opened her palm, sending a snowball flying at Odd. He grunted as it connected with the back of his head, and he tripped in surprise.

Elsa laughed, mock evilly. "There's no where to run, little man!" She teased, as the snow fell over and buried him.

Odd sat up, coughing and spluttering as he spat snow from his mouth, and he turned to look at Mia.

"That was you, wasn't it, Mia!" He accused, but his voice was lighthearted. Mia laughed, as Odd stood up and made his own snowball, chasing her.

The child squealed as she ran away. "Papa! Mama!" She cried out in her high pitched, young child's voice. "Odd chase! Odd chase me!"

Anna laughed, and ran over to catch up, while Elsa giggled and walked over to Kristoff to watch from the sidelines.

"There's no where to run, Princess!" Odd called out, as he cackled playfully. He threw the snowball, but Mia was ready, and she laughed as she sidestepped, her little feet seeming to skim the ground. Odd's mouth fell open in surprise - most one year olds probably would have just stood there, then began crying when they were hit. Admittedly, he didn't like it when they cried, but Mia had always been a quiet baby anyway.

"Ha, ha, Odd!" Mia called out, teasing him, as she stuck out her tongue playfully. For her age, she was very advanced, at least three or four months ahead of what she should be, according to the average child, intelligence wise. "You miss me!"

She laughed as she ran again, and then she skipped over to the field, where her little reindeer calf was stood, munching some sweet grass happily, with Anna's grey mare, Misty, and Elsa's white gelding, Syklon. The little doe bleated in greeting, bobbing her head happily as her friend came over, and the toddler jumped, trying to get on the animal's back.

The reindeer lowered her head again to take another mouthful of grass, as she bent to allow the child to get on her back. Mia laughed, as she locked her eyes with Odd, as if she were challenging him.

"Go, 'Ysse!" She called out, mispronouncing the name 'Lysse', but the doe understood anyway, and set off at a trot, with the toddler clinging tightly onto her fur, bouncing around as she went.

The girl was an amazing rider, at least for her age, as ever since she'd been ten months old, give or take a little, she'd been riding. Starting the day that her father had brought the little deer back from his work in the mountains, after finding her following him and Sven all the way to the kingdom, the young Princess had been riding, at first held by her mother, but quickly, the child showed a natural talent for it. Soon, she was easily able to sit up on her own in walk, and as it was, so long as she held on firmly and wrapped her legs tightly around the animal's belly, she could trot with ease, although she hadn't mastered sitting in her seat without bouncing.

She looks like a little rag doll, Odd thought to himself as the pair came bouncing over to him. As Lysse was so young and growing so quickly, not only would it be unfair to make her a saddle, but impractical as well. She'd easily go through them every month, and Mia didn't seem to mind riding bare-back.

Mid-way between their starting point and Odd, who Mia had been planning on coating in a nice, thick layer of snow as punishment, Lysse skidded to a stop, and quietly grunted, as she flicked her ears back and forth, with her nostrils flaring.

It was obvious something was not right. Sven had shepherded the two Fjord horses to the opposite side of the paddock, as the leader of the three animal herd, minus Lysse, and would bite at them every time they tried to see what was happening.

Meanwhile, the little, light-brown reindeer calf was beginning to sidestep nervously, and Mia, shocked by the sudden movement, slipped onto the floor. It wasn't a long fall - about a third of a metre, if that, but she landed with a grunt anyway, more from surprise than pain.

Lysse now had her back turned to Mia, and was snorting at the long grass before her, pawing the ground and throwing her head around, as if she were a grown male reindeer, displaying his antlers threateningly. Not that she had any, but still.

A slight rustle came in the grass, as Anna rushed over to her daughter, with the other adults alongside, concerned and, at the same time, curious.

Lysse bleated loudly, before she reared up on her little legs and pawed the air. She began to attack the grass, flattening it, until all that remained was a delicate flower, a bright red rose.

Anna giggled. "What's all the fuss over a flower?" She asked, happily, but then something struck her, from a book she'd once read. A Shakespeare novel.

Lysse grunted and snorted and began thrashing around, as if she were possessed, and she stomped on top of the flower, squishing it cleanly. Still, the petals seemed to be alive, as they rippled and moved, and a little head peeked out from underneath.

Mia gasped, as she tried to pull Lysse away. "Bad!" She cried at the creature. "Bad snake! Mean! Go 'way! Go 'way!" She continued to tug at her reindeer's fur, but the animal would not budge, still staring down with the snake. The serpent slithered out a little further, and Elsa gasped, shocked and scared.

"G-get away from it!" She cried, desperately, as she sent a beam of ice at the creature, which dodged it at incredible speed. "It's a, a black mamba! They're one of the deadliest snakes on earth!"

Anna gasped, and quickly snatched Mia up, who, wanting to save her pet calf began kicking wildly, as her mother' stress began to freeze up, despite the warm weather. The older Princess groaned, as she quickly retreated from the snake.

Everyone followed suite, besides from Lysse, who was now trying to step of the snake, it seemed, unaware of the danger she was in, only interested in destroying the threat.

"But, Elsa," Odd said, "Black mambas live in Africa, not Norway!"

The Queen groaned, as she squeezed her eyes shut and, squinting, aimed at the snake again.

"I know," She muttered, her eyes wide with fear as the snake turned it's head to her, beady eyes staring. "But here it is."

Kristoff nodded in affirmation, as he looked around for something to throw at the snake. "Yeah," he said, distractedly. "That's definitely a Mamba."

Elsa frowned in concentration, as she tried to hit the creature once again, but it was no use. Odd pulled her away.

"Elsa. Those things can move at twenty kilometres and hour. You'll never hit it."

The queen's eyes widened, and Anna looked at her sister worriedly, distracted, and it was just enough time for Mia to squirm out of her grasp and run to Lysse.

"P'ease, 'Ysse!" she called, as she wrapped her chubby arms around the snake's neck and tried to pull away, but the calf was going nowhere. Anna shrieked, as she ran - or, rather, tried to run - to her daughter, but Kristoff grabbed her in his strong, muscular arms.

"Shush, Anna." He reassured. "Lysse will take care of her. As it is, the snake's focused on Elsa and Odd, mostly, but if you run over to it then you'll get bitten and, then, so will Mia, in turn."

Anna sent a despairing glance towards her daughter. Kristoff took her hand, gently.

"Come on," He whispered, "If we can go around the edge, we can get Mia without alerting the snake, hopefully."

Anna was terrified now. "And if we do?"

Kristoff frowned. "We improvise." He replied, shrugging, and then, with the careful footsteps of a man used to stalking prey and hiding from predators, a true mountain man, he led the way, sneaking around silently.

Mia could see her parents coming, but she ignored them, as she continued to tug at Lysse. She let out a yell of frustration, and then, the snake's head whipped around, glaring at her. The sudden outburst was, to the serpent, a challenge, or a threat, and it riled it up greatly. Raising itself up, it flicked its tongue menacingly, and lunging for Mia, who only managed to avoid it when she slipped over on some ice Elsa had conjured up.

Anan screamed, and by now, a crowd of villagers was gathering at the gates. She rushed in quickly, trying to reach for her daughter while avoiding the lunging head which could kill her just like that. Kristoff rushed in to help, making noise, trying to confuse it enough to get behind and restrain it, perhaps strangle it.

Odd, having also grown up in the wilderness, quickly caught on, and rushed to help Kristoff, while Elsa ran over also, taking advantage of the snake's distraction to freeze the lower end of it's tail to the ground.

Mia ran to her mother's arms, petrified, and Anna quickly backed away, trying to comfort her scared, trembling daughter, who was now sobbing, muttering, "Save 'Ysse, Mama." The little voice broke Anna's heart, but she didn't know what she could do.

The snake lunged, confused at the increase in noise, riled up by the fear floating on the air. Its teeth scraped gently against Lysse's side, and the reindeer calf bleated, rearing and stomping her two front cloven hooves on the thick, scaly body, bucking as she did, transferring all of her weight onto the snake. Angrily, the creature flicked it's tongue, this time stroking the leg of Odd's pants, and Kristoff snarled.

Almost in synchronisation, the mountain man wrapped his strong hands tightly around the serpent's neck, blocking its airways, as Elsa's magic formed an icicle through the body.

The snake hissed feebly, before it fell to the floor, dead from the cold, and suffocation.

* * *

Anna frowned as she watched a dozing Kristoff cuddling a sleeping Mia close to him. The little toddler was definitely a daddy's girl, and in the future, she was going to be so spoilt.

Oh, life. It was such a fleeting thing. And to think, it seemed only yesterday she and Elsa were playing together as kids.

Before the accident, of course.

Still, it made her see, for a minute, how precious everything was. She smiled warmly, and a hope registered in her mind.

_Hopefully me and Kris will be able to have lots more children. _She thought_, Hopefully everything will work out okay. _

She glanced down at her abdomen and rested a hand on her stomach. Oh, how wonderful it would be to have another child, a sibling for Mia, and a young baby around the castle once again. Certainly, some aspects were bleak - the nappy changing was horrible, and Anna was grateful Mia was showing an interest in being potty trained now. Still, what were servants for?

She giggled to herself, although she knew full well that she'd never lay off all the not quite so nice (_aka, horrible_, she thought silently to herself) jobs on the servants. That would make the child feel like their's, not hers, and she didn't want that.

Just then, the door opened, and the Queen entered, her hair up rather un-regally in a towel. Elsa sat down next to her, and Anna, unfazed by the appearance, turned to her sister.

"I've been wondering, Elsa..." She said, the happy thoughts of earlier replaced with more serious ones. Anna was still slightly shaken up after the day's events. "How did a black mamba get here, all the way from Africa?"

Elsa sighed. "I think it was sent here. But I'm not sure why."

Anna looked down at her hands, then at the small rose in a vase on the table. "_Look like the innocent flower,_" she recited from memory, "_But be the serpent underneath it._"

Elsa looked around herself worriedly, and Anna instantly knew that what she'd said had hit home.

"Is there a connection?" She asked, more to hear her fears declined than to hear them affirmed.

They weren't.

"What does it mean?" The Princess queried, her face a mask attempting to hide the fear, the sorrow, and the pain under it.

"It means," the Queen began, as she stood up, wobbled, and fell down again. Her ice-blue eyes were shining fearfully. "That someone's out for our blood, again."

Anna glanced at Elsa, then Kristoff, and finally Mia, before she lay her head in her hands and cried. Elsa wrapped her arm comfortingly around her sister's shoulders, and together, exhausted, they fell asleep like that, their hearts heavy.


	5. Chapter 5 - dedicated to Charmed (guest)

**_"I've been wondering, Elsa..." She said, the happy thoughts of earlier replaced with more serious ones. Anna was still slightly shaken up after the day's events. "How did a black mamba get here, all the way from Africa?"_**

**_Elsa sighed. "I think it was sent here. But I'm not sure why."_**

**_Anna looked down at her hands, then at the small rose in a vase on the table. "Look like the innocent flower," she recited from memory, "But be the serpent underneath it."_**

**_Elsa looked around herself worriedly, and Anna instantly knew that what she'd said had hit home._**

**_"Is there a connection?" She asked, more to hear her fears declined than to ._**

**_They weren't._**

**_"What does it mean?" The Princess queried, her face a mask attempting to hide the fear, the sorrow, and the pain under it._**

**_"It means," the Queen began, as she stood up, wobbled, and fell down again. Her ice-blue eyes were shining fearfully. "That someone's out for our blood, once again."_**

**_Anna glanced at Elsa, then Kristoff, and finally Mia, before she lay her head in her hands and cried. Elsa wrapped her arm comfortingly around her sister's shoulders, and together, exhausted, they fell asleep like that, their hearts heavy._**

* * *

"There! Finished!" Anna said, and Elsa turned to look in the dressing-room mirror. She gasped, smiling.

"Wow!" She said, smiling at her reflection, and she admired her hair. Anna had put it up for her in a style similar to the one she'd worn on the day of her coronation four and a half years ago, and she'd managed to intertwine small flakes diamonds, in the shape of snowflakes, into the white braids too. The light shone down, and reflected off of the precious gems, making the Queen's hair seem to shine.

Anna smiled, satisfied with her sister's response, and then she went over to the walk-in-wardrobe that she and her sister shared, to find Elsa's dress. She paused for a minute, before she found something that caught her eye, and a mischievous glint formed in them.

"Anna?" Elsa queried, as she frowned at her sister's delay. "What are you doing?" She sighed, as she returned to the mirror, concentrating as she fashioned herself a pair of earrings, shaped as snowflakes. She didn't have her ears pierced - her parents had refused it when she was younger, and she respected this as a tribute to their memory. Besides, she didn't usually like to wear too much jewellery, because she didn't feel she really needed it. Only, today was a special occasion - she'd make an exception.

As she froze the snowflakes onto her ears, there came a rustling from inside the wardrobe, and Anna jumped out happily, crying out, "What is _this_!"

She wore a very bright orange dress, with a lime green stripe down the middle. It had too much padding, with massive bulges around Anna's hips, and her backside, and made her look extremely comical. The Princess giggled.

"Ooh!" She teased, "Ooh la la!" She span around, as if trying to see over the massive padding (and failing to do so). She grinned, as she began to talk again. "My hips are here, my hips are there, oh!" She put her hand over her mouth as if she was embarrassed or shocked. "Pardon my behind, young man, didn't see you there! Didn't mean to knock you down!"

Elsa laughed at her sister, and she shook her head. Anna looked at her sister suspiciously.

"And where, may I ask, did you get this?" She teased, and Elsa blushed, embarrassed.

"It was just a gift!" She replied defensively, though her voice had a light-hearted tone. "From one of those... big countries. Now, stop goofing around!"

Anna giggled as she was pushed back to the wardrobe. "Oh! I cannot fit through the doorway!"

Elsa sighed at her sister's antics, as she got up and went to find the beautiful pair of high-heeled shoes Odd had brought her. After the teasing from her sister had ended, she was now feeling a little nervous, the butterflies in her stomach distracting her a little, but she was excited, too.

Just three hours to go.

* * *

A knock sounded on the door, and Ida's voice came through the wood. "It's time to leave, your Majesty." She said, "I need you and the Princesses outside in five minutes, so that you can go to the church."

Elsa swallowed. "Thank you, Ida." She said, dismissing her, and then turned to her sister, her eyes wide.

"Oh my gosh, Anna!" She cried out, a new wave of fear washing over her. "I can't do this! What if Odd says no? What if something happens again like last time! I don't even know if I'm ready for marriage!"

Anna laughed, as she placed a gentle hand on her older sister's shoulder, comfortingly. "Hey, hey, hey." She said, softly, "Everything will be fine. I promise you."

"But-" Elsa began, the natural worries of one's wedding taking control. Anna took her hand.

"Elsa..." She began, and then took a breath. "_No one will shut you out again, No one will slam the door, No one will make you keep your distance anymore!"_

Her voice had a melodic sound, and even without listening to the lyrics, Elsa would still have relaxed at the song.

"_Because unlike things were before, I will never leave your side,"_

_"Because unlike things were before, you will be one lucky bride,"_

_"We will head down to the church together,"_

_"You do not have anything to fear,"_

_"Because unlike things were before,"_

_"I will be right here!"_

Anna smiled at her sister, and squeezed her hand gently.

"Come on, Sis." She said, as she bent down to pick up Mia.

Elsa grinned. "Let's do this."

* * *

Olaf and Mia were skipping gleefully down the middle of the aisle, spreading flower petals with their arms interlocked. The snowman was laughing, his head bouncing around atop his body, while Mia was giggling happily and trying her hardest not to trip. It was difficult for her to skip on her chubby little legs and swing the basket at the same time.

Odd's breath caught in his throat as the large doors to the now restored church swung open revealing the Queen, smiling nervously, but it was clear she was excited too. Anna was stood next to her, taking up the role of escort, and together, they began to walk down the aisle.

The princess was dressed in a beautiful, 'safe' dress that reached down to the ground. It was a simple gown, an a-line design and a deep, royal-blue in colour, with embroidered flowers in a lighter shade around the neck. The bottom of the dress was slightly more flowing than the top, and when the Princess spun around as she walked, it twirled slightly around her legs, like waves surrounding her.

However, her appearance was easily overlooked when one glanced at her sister beside her. Elsa's dress was breathtaking, the same colour of freshly fallen snow. It was tight at the top, and strapless, with a crystal white sash just below. From there, the fabric changed into a soft, fine tulle material, and it made a net bottom, that glided and twirled with every step Elsa took, as gentle and flowing as the soft snow of a winter's morning.

Similarly to her hair, Elsa's dress was embroidered with gems, a mixture of diamonds and other various gemstones, which made her appear to shine in the sunlight through the repaired stain-glass windows. Her tiara rested gently upon her head, giving her an air of innocence and femininity, and the opal necklace around her neck complimented the light, baby-blue snowflake earrings perfectly.

"Wow," Odd whispered to himself, as she neared him. She was absolutely radiant.

Finally, after what felt like years to Odd, Elsa came to a stop beside him, and he gently took her hand.

"Ready?" She whispered, and he nodded in response, smiling warmly. Elsa retracted her hand, and smiled, and then the pair turned to the priest.

"We are gathered here today..."

* * *

Hans dug his fingers into the crevices in the stone walls of his cell, relieving some of the tension that had built up inside of him. He knew exactly what day it was, and the events of the day were causing his mind to reel in anger, over loaded with his jealousy and fury as it desperately tried to think of a way out.

The wedding of Queen Elsa and that stupid little nobody, Odd. He wasn't even a villager - he simply lived in the forest! How could he achieve so much, over him, Prince Hans!

Pounding the wall twice, Hans took a deep breath in as his steely, cold eyes glared daggers at the wall, as if he could break it with a glance.

_I must remain calm_, he thought to himself, _Everything will work out fine. I need this marriage to go ahead. _

Yet, even though the joining of Queen Elsa and Odd was necessary for his little scheme, the knowledge did little to reassure him, to quell his feelings. It wasn't that he liked the Queen - quite the contrary, the brat and her sister had gotten in his way too many times - and he was not jealous of Odd's love for her rather his position.

As a nobody, Odd would never be more than a Prince in the eyes of the law; though a woman may marry a king and become the monarch alongside him, a common man could not take such a prestigious title simply by marrying a Queen, only receiving the next best. Still, even if Odd would not be a king, people would still see him as one.

Something Hans should have been.

Taking a few more deep breaths, the Prince placed his hands behind his head and breathed out again.

He just had to stay calm. In a few hours, the Queen would be married, and then his scheme could really begin to unfold.

* * *

"I do." Elsa said, and she beamed at Odd, who returned the gesture just as happily.

"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife!" The priest concluded. "You may kiss."

Elsa and Odd looked at each other, and then, completely oblivious of everyone surrounding them, the Queen practically jumped on him as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he placed his on her back. The audience cheered loudly as their lips met in a long, lingering kiss, and after what felt like forever, they drew back, gasping for air and beaming wildly at each other.

"I love you," Elsa whispered in his ear. Odd grinned as he reached up to brush a small lock of hair from her face, which had fallen out of place.

"And I love you, too."

Taking Elsa's hand, the pair then raised their hand into the air and ran happily down the aisle, to much cheering, and climbed into the carriage which was waiting outside for them. Anna was the first person to leave the church, whistling happily, and Mia came toddling not long after, crying out "Love 'oo, Auntie Elsie!" as she threw the remains of her petals at the carriage. A few got stuck in Elsa's hair, and she giggled, while Odd chuckled at his new niece.

"Are you ready?" Odd asked his newly-wedded wife, and she nodded, but then shook her head.

"Oh, no, no! Wait!" She said, and leaned out of the carriage window, a bouquet of flowers in her hands, and she threw it back, so that it flew through the air and, strangely enough, landed in Sven's antlers. The reindeer looked at it in surprise, snorted, and shook them off of his head.

Elsa giggled, as the carriage began to pull away, waving happily.

* * *

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Anna cried out, "I'm so excited!" Bending down to pick up Mia, who was playing with her little toy wolf, she climbed into the carriage which was waiting for her. "Come on, Kristoff!"

Mia gurgled. "Come 'n, papa!" She culled out, and Kristoff laughed as he ran over.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming." He replied, as he climbed in next to Anna. Mia laughed gleefully as the carriage pulled away, and kicked her legs back and forth happily, as she bounced her little toy wolf around.

Kristoff rubbed her hair affectionately, and Anna scowled, pushing his shoulder gently.

"Kris!" She scolded, "You've messed up her hair!"

Kristoff grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. For being late, too. I was trying to make Sven and Seier feel better. I think they're a little sore at not being invited."

Anna laughed. "Really? A reindeer and a wolf want to come to a wedding party?"

Kristoff shrugged. "Seems like it."

Mia thrust her wolf toy towards her parents, shaking him around gently. "Look! Look! Mama! 'olf want go!"

Anna giggled quietly, as she patted the toys head, making her daughter giggle. "Of course he does, Sweetie." She said, before turning to Kristoff and rolling her eyes amusedly.

"See, Anna?" Kristoff said, his voice saying 'well, duh!'. "If Wolf wants to go, then obviously Sven and Seier want to go too!"

Anna giggled, and she glanced out of the window. She gasped.

"Kris! Kris! Kris!" She yelled excitedly, as she reached over to grab Mia. "We're here! We're here! We're here!"

Kristoff shook his head, laughing as he got out of the carriage, and offered his hand to Anna to help her down. She jumped down gently, grinning, and Mia squealed.

"Yay!"

* * *

Elsa and Odd spun slowly to the beautiful, calming music, their first dance together as a married couple. The Queen sighed, as she closed her eyes and rested her head gentle upon Odd's shoulder, as the pair continued to spin rhythmically.

After what felt like hours, the music subsided, and Anna cheered, loudly. The watching crowd slowly made their way onto the dance floor, and soon, everyone was spinning happily to the music, laughing as they danced together to the much more energetic and lively tune.

Anna laughed as she and Kristoff danced together, happily. Though she truly did love her husband, she wasn't nearly so fond of his dancing skills. He was strong, certainly, but he had two left feet, and despite all of the Princess' coaching in dancing, he still could not move with the music. Either way, Anna didn't really mind - everyone had to have their flaws, something she knew better than most.

It just happened that one of his flaws was his dancing skills, but as the pair danced together, she could forget it. Being with her husband was enough, even if she did look silly dancing with him.

Then again, she made a fool of herself a lot on her own, without her husband's help. It didn't really make much difference in the end.

She laughed as she spun off to another man, and she sent a quick glance towards the woman dancing with Kristoff to say 'sorry'. When she noticed the way the lady was looking at him, though, she snapped her head back, trying to hide any sincere feelings towards her, and concealing her snarl.

The man she was dancing with placed his hands on her waist and lifted her up, and Anna was shocked for a moment, not expecting it. The man below her lost his grip upon her and she fell with a thud. The music instantly stopped and everyone turned to look.

Elsa, who had still been dancing with Odd, rushed over quickly to help her sister up. Kristoff was also by her side in an instant.

"Anna! Anna!" Elsa called out, "Are you okay?"

Anna groaned slightly, and accepted Kristoff's arm to help her up. She blinked a few times, muttering, "Yeah, yeah, I think I'm okay..." quietly, but the Queen didn't look very reassured.

"Continue dancing, everyone! Nothing to see here! Everything's fine!" She called out, and she helped Kristoff lead Anna over to one of the chairs at the side of the room.

"Just... stay here for a minute." She said, as Mia toddled over to sit next to her mother.

"Mama? You 'kay?" She asked, and Anna nodded, a little shaky but okay otherwise.

"Yes, yes, Sweetie." She said, quietly. "I'll be fine." She turned to Kristoff and her sister. "You two go back to the dance. I'll be okay."

Elsa looked unsure, but an insistent glance from Anna, she sighed and obliged. Placing her hand on her shoulder, she said, "Just call me over if you need anything, 'Sis." Anna nodded, and Elsa went back to Odd.

Kristoff stood up, and smiled at his wife. "Well, I'm not going to go back to the dance. I'm not exactly brilliant, and besides, there'd be an odd number if I did."

Anna laughed a little, and Kristoff grinned. "D'you want me to grab you a drink?" He asked, and the Princess nodded slightly.

Kristoff nodded, and turned around to get her a drink of lemonade, but he spun around quickly when he heard Anna's gasp, missed by everyone else over the noise of the music and dancing.

"Anna!" He said, worriedly. "What's wrong, Anna?" He bent down and took her hand, looking into her large, scared eyes. Mia was whimpering, whispering 'Mama?', and Kristoff turned to her.

"Mia, can you go and get Auntie Elsa for me please?" He requested, and Mia, confused and worried about her mother, obliged, running off quickly in amongst all of the dancers, clutching Wolf the her chest in fear.

Anna tried to stand up, and the first thing she noticed was how wet her skirt felt. Her eyes widened even more than before, and she nervously looked down, to see that the bottom of her dress was completely soaked in blood.

Kristoff quickly noticed, and looked around nervously.

"Okay, okay, Anna," He said, trying not to let his voice waver in fear. It would only scare her more. "We'll go out of the back door. Here." Taking off his jacket, he tied it around his wife's skirt, and took her hand, helping her along the wall to the exit.

Sitting her down on the floor, he said quietly, "Wait here." and then left.

It was a few minutes before he returned, but during those few minutes, Anna could hear Kristoff and Elsa's worried whispering. When he got back, with Mia in tow, he bent down and picked his wife up, bridal style, and led her back to the carriage. Gently laying her down upon two of the seats, he then got in himself, resting Anna's head on his lap, and pulled Mia in also, then he instructed the driver to get back to the castle, quickly.

"It's okay, Anna." He soothed, and she smiled weakly up at him. "You'll be okay."

Anna looked at him, her eyes pained and scared. "I'll be fine, but... But what about you?"

He gently moved a lock of hair out of her face. "Don't worry about me." He said, and Anna smiled weakly, remembering when he'd said that before. He was always so sweet, even now. There was no doubt he knew what had happened, and though so many men would have been furious at her for it, even if it wasn't her fault, he didn't say a word.

It was what she loved about him.

* * *

Elsa knocked on Kristoff and Anna's bedroom door quietly, and after a few moments, the man opened the door slowly.

The Queen peered into the room nervously, and saw Anna sleeping quietly on the bed.

"Is she okay?" Elsa asked, worriedly, and Kristoff nodded very slightly.

"I hope so."

* * *

**So, here's the next chapter!**

**Firstly, thanks to everyone who reviewed before! Your reviews have made me appreciate my work more.**

**Secondly, though I had a slightly better response last chapter, I still didn't get as many reviews as I'd have liked. Even if it's just a 'nice', please leave a review, because every little helps!**

**Thanks for reading. If it helps, here's the review structure to help you know what to write.**

**1 ) Opinion of the chapter**

**2 ) What was your favourite part? Why?**

**3 ) Were there any parts you didn't like / could have been improved?**

**4 ) If so, why or how? ****  
**

**5 ) What do you want to happen later on? What are your hopes for the story?**

**Oh, and just quickly, how come almost all of my reviews come from guests? Come on, members! You can do it too! I have faith in you!**


	6. Chapter 6 - dedicated to natsuxlucyONLY

_**Elsa knocked on Kristoff and Anna's bedroom door quietly, and after a few moments, the man opened the door slowly.**_

_**The Queen peered into the room nervously, and saw Anna sleeping quietly on the bed.**_

_**"Is she okay?" Elsa asked, worriedly, and Kristoff nodded very slightly.**_

_**"I hope so."**_

* * *

A day passed, and there was no word about Anna, but Elsa wasn't too worried, at least not at first. Kristoff kept insisting that the Princess was fine, just a little shaken up, and though he refused to tell his sister-in-law what was wrong with her, he promised that she'd be up and about soon enough.

After just less than a week, though, Odd had begun to feel a little angry, worried for his newly-wedded wife, who was slowly working herself into insanity, surely, with worry about her younger sister. Anna had refused completely to leave her room, and had to have all of her meals delivered to her bedside. Kristoff had taken to sleeping on a sofa which he had requested be moved next to his wife's door, for she was now refusing to speak to even him, and would not let him into their room, except to get dressed. The room was even off limits to Mia, who was becoming quieter with each passing day, and had taken to sitting numbly outside her mother's room, whining quietly to be let in.

Naturally, on the eighth day, when Anna finally emerged from her cocoon, everyone in the castle was in an uproar. She hadn't come out of her cell, as many of the staff called it, for long, not even an hour, but, it seemed, she had grown a little less numb from the incident on Elsa's wedding night.

When she went to see her sister, later on in the day when she emerged once again, she'd had a good time, and had forgotten about the pains of the past for a short while, enjoying the Queen's company and simply having a laugh. She'd become a little more reserved when Elsa asked subtly about what had happened, more a prompt than anything, as Kristoff had recommended - he knew Anna was still sore about the incident - but when Elsa suggested they go to the local bakery and get a chocolate cake each, she cheered up.

It was on the tenth day that Anna finally returned to her normal self.

Elsa was sat in her new bedroom which she shared with Odd, on her bed, as she smiled to herself, watching gentle snowflakes swirling around Mia's head. The child laughed at her own power, loving using her magical abilities.

Though she was barely over eighteen months old, Anna and Elsa had already decided before the wedding that it would be best to begin to teach Mia how to control her powers at an early age. Although Elsa was certain people wouldn't really mind the child's powers, which were identical to her own, Anna couldn't help worrying - as a young child, it was quite possible that Mia would lose focus and, perhaps, she could hurt someone.

Anna hadn't wanted people to be scared of her, after all.

Elsa smiled, and then said to her niece, "Okay, Sweetie," which caught the girl's attention. "I want you to try something. Can you make a little pile of snow, please."

Mia frowned for a moment, processing the question, but the smiled a few seconds later, nodding as she waved her hand and a small amount of powder materialised of the floor. The child clapped happily, and before Elsa could say anything, she had jumped, landing in the snow, completely buried. She then sat up quickly, laughing as she threw the snow everywhere.

Elsa giggled. "You're a lot like your Mummy." She said, fondly, and Mia smiled happily. "Anyway, Sweetie. Now, I want you to try and thaw the snow."

Mia frowned, and Elsa quickly realised that the girl didn't understand.

"Faw?" She repeated, and the Queen smiled at her.

"Make it go away, Mia." She elaborated. Mia nodded, her mouth a perfect circle as she said, "Oooh!" In reply. "Why you not say?"

Elsa laughed, as the toddler scrunched up her face in concentration. Creating snow and ice came naturally to her, but getting rid of it was more of an art.

"Remember how much Mummy and Daddy love you, that will help."

For just a moment, Mia looked like she was going to get somewhere, but then she failed, and a small tear leaked from her eye. "Mama no talk wiv me." She said, sadly, as she wiped the small tear away with the back of her hand. "She doesn't like me."

Elsa looked sadly down at her niece, and bent to pick her up, cuddling her.

"No, no. That's not it." She said gently, "Mummy's just a little bit upset now because... Because... She lost her teddy bear and can't find it."

Mia looked up at Elsa with large, bright blue eyes."Really?" She muttered, and Elsa nodded enthusiastically. This seemed to satisfy the girl, who climbed down and focused on the now-scattered pile of snow again. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to thaw the powder away, but then there came a loud giggle, and Elsa knew that any hope of Mia achieving anything today was now gone.

"Hey, guys!" Olaf called as he toddled into the room. "Hey, Mia! How's it going?"

Mia frowned. "How what goin'?" She asked, not quite understanding, and Olaf giggled.

"How are you?" He asked again, and Mia nodded happily.

"I'm okay." She said, then she looked at her hands and gasped excitedly. "Oh! Oh! Oh!" She cried out in her young, high pitched voice. "O'af? Wanna build a snow-man?"

Olaf looked just as excited as the young girl before him, as he lifted his head up, gasping happily. "Oh, yes! Let's go! We can make one in the garden, and Elsa can make a flurry for her so she doesn't melt!"

Mia looked completely bamboozled - Olaf's speech was much too fast for her, and she frowned, lost, but she just shrugged and nodded anyway. "Okay, O'af!" She said, agreeing, and ran out with her hand in the snowman's own, wooden one, and Elsa sighed as they ran off. She'd thought Mia might have made some progress today, but at least she'd have a good time.

Thawing away the snow for Mia, Elsa was slightly startled as there came a gentle knock on the door, and she called out, "Come in!" with a happy tone of voice. She turned, and was surprised to see Anna standing in her doorway. It was only the morning, and her sister usually stayed in her room until lunch.

"Anna!" Elsa gasped, and her face broke out into a massive smile. "Oh, come sit down! How are you?"

Anna smiled at her sister, and muttered, "I'm fine, thanks." in a quiet voice. Elsa looked unconvinced, and she frowned at her Anna, her face asking 'what's wrong?'

The princess sighed. "I can't hide it, can I?" She asked, and laughed a little to herself, but it seemed forced. "I can't stay in my room forever." She admitted, "And I think Kristoff deserved to be allowed to actually sleep in a bed again."

Elsa giggled, and wrapped her arm around her sister. "I'm glad you're back, sis." She said, and Anna smiled. She then paused.

"Huh." She sighed. "Look, you deserve to know the truth. And you're my sister. I can't hide things from you."

Elsa looked both interested and worried, as she took Anna's hand and held it tight. "Whatever it is, I'll be here for you."

Anna smiled gently, and she looked at the ceiling, took a breath, and then let it out. "Well..." She began, "You know when we went to visit the trolls? You know I was asking Bulda something?" Elsa nodded, wondering where this was going, although she had a faintest glimmer of an idea. "Well, I... I asked her if I was, you know... Pregnant."

Elsa smiled triumphantly. "I knew it!" She exclaimed, but then she realised that something was off with her sister. It took her a few seconds, but then it settled in her brain. "Oh, god, Anna..." She said, "You... You... Did you..." She couldn't finish her sentence.

Anna finished it for her, nodding. "Yes, Elsie. I lost the baby." She hung her head, and the Queen drew her younger sister into an embrace, comfortingly.

A few minutes passed by in silence, and then Elsa spoke up. "Does Kristoff know?" She asked, and Anna nodded slowly.

"Yeah. He knew I was pregnant and, you know, pieced things together when he saw me." She replied, sighing.

A few more awkward seconds of silence passed, but then Anna let out a breath. "Still, I can't live in the past, can I? The past is in the past, and there's nothing I can do about it. I need to move on."

Elsa opened her mouth to object, to say it was perfectly natural to be grieving, but Anna held up her hand. "Please, don't, Elsie. It'll make it harder. I just need to get over it. I've had over a week now, it's okay... I think. I mean, it wasn't even a baby, really, I was only two months along..." She sighed. "Besides, Bulda said she thought she sensed something was a little off. I don't think it was strong enough to survive anyway. So, I guess, maybe it was for the best."

Elsa nodded, slowly, uncertainly, but Anna, having decided to get over things, wasn't going to let the mood hang. She turned to her sister, and, trying to forget everything going on, grinned at her.

"So, you and Odd are married now..." She began, and Elsa frowned. Where had that come from? More specifically, what exactly was her sister getting at?

"Yes..." She prompted, and Anna had a cheeky gleam in her bright blue eyes.

"And you obviously share a bed..." She continued, and Elsa's eyes widened, as a blush began to creep up into sight upon her white cheeks.

_Oh, god, Anna._ She thought, _Why do you do this to me?_

Anna noticed her sister's reaction, and this only encouraged her more. "So, have you two spent any... _couple time_ together?" She asked, and Elsa felt like she'd had a tennis ball forced down her throat.

"W-What?" She almost stuttered, shocked and embarrassed, and her blush grew, her normally snow-white cheeks now fire-red. Anna grinned triumphantly, laughing at her sister's awkward glances around the room. She was clearly out of her comfort zone, but the Princess was enjoying tormenting her. Not in a malicious way, but it truly was hilarious.

"I'll take that as a yes. So, is Odd any good in bed?"

Elsa's eyes grew even wider, as she looked around the room for an escape route, and felt like she'd pass out from embarrassment soon.

Anns laughed. "I'm teasing you, Elsa!" She said, cheerfully, but then she stopped laughing. "Besides, I already know the answer."

Elsa's mouth hung open, and she glared at Anna. "You were spying on us!" She whispered harshly, and Anna looked horrified.

"Oh, hell, no. That's just wrong. No, not spying, but believe it or not, even if I can't see you, it doesn't mean my ears have stopped working."

Elsa felt like she was going to die any second. _Can this day get any worse?_

* * *

Hans lay, staring up at the ceiling, as he so often did, thinking. Elsa had been married to Odd for just over a week now, if he was not mistaken. It wasn't long enough to start the main stage of his plan, but he could begin preparations.

Standing up, he called over a guard, and requested that his older brother, Alec, come to see him. Alec was the twelfth born prince, one up from Hans, and out of all of his siblings, was the one who'd associate and help him most.

He grinned as he sat back down, waiting, and saw a small spider scuttling across the floor. He picked it up carefully and, then, with no remorse or consideration for his actions, pulled one of its legs clean off.

The spider twitched as the Prince removed another, and then two more, leaving it with only four of its original eight legs. Gently he placed it back down, watching as it scuttled around wobbly in a circle, its body wracked with convulsions of pain, and small droplets of blood, almost impossible to see, stained the grey stone floor.

Hans watched for a few seconds, then bent down, and crushed the poor creature with his finger, slowly, revelling in the desperate wriggling it made.

_Strike when they're at their weakest_. He thought, savagely, as he picked up the dead bug and placed it in his mouth, crunching down and enjoying the cracking sound it made. _And then they'll simply fall under your control._

* * *

**Yay! This was a bit more of a filler chapter, but I hope you liked it anyway.**

**First things first, quite a few reviews last chapter were saying how I should have made Anna's... what do you call it? Mishap? I don't know... Anyway, how I should have made it clearer, because people didn't understand, but it was meant to be unclear, to get you guys thinking. Hopefully it's cleared up now, anyway.**

**So, has anyone got any ideas what Hans' plan is? If you can leave a review with your guess, and guess an aspect of it correctly, then I'll tell you if it was right or not!**

**Yay!**


	7. Chapter 7 - dedicated to OmegaMarker

_**Hans lay, staring up at the ceiling, as he so often did, thinking. Elsa had been married to Odd for just over a week now, if he was not mistaken. It wasn't long enough to start the main stage of his plan, but he could begin preparations.**_

_**Standing up, he called over a guard, and requested that his older brother, Alec, come to see him. Alec was the twelfth born prince, one up from Hans, and out of all of his siblings, was the one who'd associate and help him most.**_

_**He grinned as he sat back down, waiting, and saw a small spider scuttling across the floor. He picked it up carefully and, then, with no remorse or consideration for his actions, pulled one of its legs clean off.**_

_**The spider twitched as the Prince removed another, and then two more, leaving it with only four of its original eight legs. Gently he placed it back down, watching as it scuttled around wobbly in a circle, its body wracked with convulsions of pain, and small droplets of blood, almost impossible to see, stained the grey stone floor.**_

_**Hans watched for a few seconds, then bent down, and crushed the poor creature with his finger, slowly, revelling in the desperate wriggling it made.**_

_**Strike when they're at their weakest. He thought, savagely, as he picked up the dead bug and placed it in his mouth, crunching down and enjoying the cracking sound it made. And then they'll simply fall under your control.**_

* * *

Odd was sat outside in the castle courtyard, under the only-slightly warm september sun, a small piece of wood clutched in his hand, a scalpel held in the other, as he carefully sliced a few small strips of the bark away. He frowned, and squinted at the work, before he noticed the rough edges, and began to make a few more small changes, carefully editing his work to make it perfect.

He looked up as he heard a small disturbance, and noticed Kristoff and Sven trotting over to him. The mountain man nodded to him, and sat down next to his brother-in-law.

"Hey, mate." He said, and then noticed the little item Odd was crafting. "Oh, what's that?"

Odd looked down at the item in his hands, as he cut off another small sliver from it. The little wooden piece was a small snowflake that the man had crafted, from memory of the ones the Queen managed to create so perfectly. "Oh, it's for Elsa." He commented, "She isn't feeling too good, and I thought it would make her feel a little better."

Kristoff chuckled. "That's sweet," He said, "I'm sure she'll love it."

Odd smiled. "So, how was your day?" He asked, "How'd the ice harvesting go?"

The man shrugged. "Meh, not all that great. I got half way up the mountain and then noticed that Mia had been following me all the way up." Just then, the little child came bouncing over on her reindeer's back. "Speak of the devil." Kristoff commented affectionately, as he rubbed her hair gently.

Mia laughed. "Hiya, Odd!" The child cried out happily.

Odd laughed, as he placed down the wooden snowflake he was making for Elsa. "What were you up to, little Princess?" He said cheekily, as he tickled her under her chin. Though he'd spent most of his life growing up away from people, he'd made that his fate partially because of the love he'd felt for his sister, when he'd run away, and now, he absolutely adored children.

"I was following Papa!" She explained, and Odd smiled, as he patter her shoulder.

"Good girl," He teased, holding back a laugh when he saw Kristoff's face. "You have to keep an eye on Mummy and Daddy for me, okay? Then if they are naughty, we'll get revenge on them." Odd then glanced at his brother-in-law's face, seeing a look of both horror and shock on it, and realised exactly what he'd said.

"Oh, god!" He cried out, "Not that type of naughty!" Kristoff breathed out a sigh of relief, but Mia frowned.

"What type of naughty?" She asked, her voice sweet and innocent.

Odd looked around unsurely, glancing to Kristoff for help, but the man shook his head, laughing at his companion's situation. "Umm..." Odd said, not quite sure what to reply, obviously not wanting to say the truth, but not knowing how to cover it up. "Uhm, well, when Mummy and Daddy are only being a bit naughty, we won't get revenge on them then. But if they're _really really_ naughty, then we will."

Kristoff looked like he was going to choke from trying to hold in his laughter, but Mia looked serious still, oblivious. "If Papa take Wolf?" She suggested, and Odd laughed.

"Okay, Mia." He said, "If Daddy steals Wolf, then we'll get revenge on him."

Mia looked gleefully at her father, with a gleam in her eyes. "Papa taked Wolf!" She cried out, pointing at him accusingly, and Kristoff crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, I didn't!" He said in response, miming horror at being accused. "You lost him!"

Mia laughed, and Odd stood up from his seat.

"I don't know..." He said, grinning, "Do you believe him, Mia?"

The toddler laughed happily. "No! Papa taked Wolf!" She ran over to her father, and grabbed tightly onto his leg, wrapping her arms and legs tightly around him, and no matter how much he shook her, she would not let go.

"Well, then." Odd said, "We'll just have to fix this, then, won't we?" He said, and Mia nodded enthusiastically, laughing. "Come on, then!"

Odd laughed, as he pinned Kristoff down playfully, and the man squirmed, playing along, as his daughter came over and jumped on him.

"Ooph!" Kristoff groaned, as Mia landed right on his stomach, and he scowled at her. "Come here, you!" Standing up, he caught her as she fell, and swung her around, before stopping so that he could tickle her. The toddler wriggled and writhed wildly, screaming happily for help.

Odd chuckled again, as he bent down to pick up his wooden snowflake, and finish it off.

"Well, I'm going to go back inside and see how Elsa's doing. Are you two coming?"

Kristoff nodded and, for a moment, stopped tickling Mia, who took advantage of the second to scramble from her father's grasp and run to her uncle, poking her tongue out at him cheekily as she went.

After a few minutes, the group reached the main entrance hall, and slowly, Odd's gaze trailed over to the portrait of the old king on the wall. He stopped, and sighed.

Kristoff turned around, frowning at him, before he looked at what his 'brother' was looking at and understood.

"Are you a bit nervous, Odd?" He asked, and his companion nodded.

"Yeah." He replied, in affirmation, "I mean, sure, I'm a Prince, now, but who am I really? I don't have any past - not a past that I want to remember, any way - and I'm not exactly Prince material. I don't even have a proper job, because really, that whole '_Forest Master and Protector_' thing is just an excuse."

Kristoff placed his hand on Odd's shoulder. "I know how you feel." He said, as he looked at the towering portrait. "I always worried I'd be no good - I wasn't even raised by people, I was raised by trolls, who have completely different customs. In the end, though, as Anna reminded me, it isn't your lineage which makes you a good member of the royal family."

Odd considered this, but frowned. "Then what?"

Kristoff smiled at him, as he said, "It's who you are inside." He then turned to look at the painting again. "Perhaps you won't be the king, but I promise you, you'll make a bloody brilliant Prince." He paused, thinking, and Mia cried out, "Bwoody Bwilliant Prince!"

Kristoff's face was one of pure shock, as the thought, _"I am so dead,"_ ran through his mind. Odd chuckled, as Mia added, "Like Papa!"

Kristoff's heart melted, and he picked up his daughter, who smiled at him.

"Come on," he said, "Let's go find that Queen of yours."

As the walked off, he said quietly to Mia, "Do you know what 'bloody' means, Baby?"

The girl shook her head, and Kristoff continued, "It means poo."

Mia scrunched up her nose, as she cried out, "Ewww!", loudly enough for almost all of the castle to hear.

* * *

Elsa groaned as she sat up, and Anna rubbed the back of her neck.

"You feeling better?" She said, gently, and the Queen nodded, before hastily shaking her head again and almost diving for the chamber pot. She groaned again, as she rinsed her mouth out.

"Ugh!" She complained, "This is hell!"

Anna laughed. "Hey, hey, it's not so bad. Remember what I was like when I was pregnant with Mia?"

Elsa couldn't help but laugh quietly. "Oh, thank God I'm not pregnant." She commented, as she wiped her mouth on a handkerchief. "I think I'll just say I can't have children and adopt, instead."

Anna laughed. "Whatever you want, Elsa." She said, as she studied her sister's face. "You know, you've got more colour in your cheeks... well, a little bit. Your skin isn't completely white at any rate. And it doesn't have that green tint."

Elsa smiled, as she commented, "That's the downside of my being the snow-Queen, huh?" She turned to look in the mirror. "It looks like I've just, I don't know, painted my face with chalk, doesn't it?"

Anna giggled. "Well, your hair's whiter." She pointed out, but Elsa frowned as she turned to leave the bathroom.

"My hair isn't _white_, Anna." She said, rolling her eyes, "It's just very bleach-blonde."

The Princess raised her eyebrows, as she said, "Uh-huh?", unconvinced, and Elsa waved her hand dismissively.

"Fine, think what you want." She replied, and Anna grinned triumphantly as she sat down on Elsa and Odd's king sized bed.

Just then, there came a little knock at the door, and Olaf came trotting in, grinning like crazy, as normal. "Hi, Anna! Hey, Elsa!" He greeted, and he smiled at the Queen. "Kristoff and Odd are waiting for you two downstairs, so I came to get you."

Anna and Elsa looked at each other, before shrugging and following Olaf out of the room. Though the Queen still looked a little under the weather, she was quite presentable, as she made herself a dress of ice quickly.

Olaf laughed as he skipped through the corridors, before he turned his head around to look at the Queen.

'"You know, Elsa," He said, "Your hair looks especially white today. Like snow!"

* * *

"Hello, Alec..." Hans sneered, "Long time, no see. How's life up above?"

The older Prince frowned, as he crossed his arms and stood up taller, threateningly, but the younger was not put off in the slightest.

"What do you want, Hans?" Alec snapped, as he impatiently tapped his foot on the ground, his eyes narrowed at his younger brother in disdain.

Hans chuckled quietly at his sibling's behaviour, as he stood up and glided over to the cell bars. "Don't look like that, Alec," He said, his voice sharp as knives. "Maybe we don't agree on everything. I understand that you do not agree with my actions in Arendelle, four years ago, whereas I still feel that I did nothing wrong. Well... perhaps I was a little harsh on the Queen, but that's in the past, now."

Alec stared at Hans, his face expressionless. "What are you trying to get at here, _brother_?" He snapped.

Hans chuckled again. "Now now, brother. Don't jump to conclusions... just let me talk first, before the guards take you away."

"Spit it out, then."

The younger Prince sat back down again, as he stared at his brother directly in the eyes, but neither would back down, both struggling without saying anything for authority, power, over the other. "I'm not blind, Alec, even if I am trapped down here. I know that Bjørn always was your favourite older brother, and his death still makes you angry."

Alec seemed un-impressed, as Hans continued. "I also know that our Kingdom is... aching... for a war. And those cravings must be quenched, yes?"

Alec frowned. "Are you suggesting that we go to war with Arendelle? I believe you are forgetting that she has one of the largest, strongest navy fleets in the world? We'd never get to the docks, even."

Hans clucked his tongue, mockingly. "You seem to underestimate my intelligence, brother. It is insulting, even. No, I am not suggesting that we go to war with Arendelle, for she is, as you say, much too well-defended for us. However, from what I know, are the Queen and Princess of Arendelle not related to the Queen of Corona?"

Something seemed to click in Alec's mind. "Are you saying that if we go to war with Corona, Arendelle will join?"

Hans clapped his hands together, grinning. "That's exactly what I'm saying brother, but that's not all."

Alec seemed suddenly interested in his sibling's plans, as he took a step closer to the bars of the cell, eager to hear the rest of the scheme. Hans was amused at his brother's rapid involvement in his plot. "That would satisfy our need of war, but what about the need of revenge?" Hans was in his element by now. "And I know exactly the way to get it."

* * *

**Okay, another short chapter, but do not fear! As things begin to liven up, the chapters will get longer, but at the moment, it is a little difficult to come up with things to write about. If there's anything you want me to write about, please, leave a request. It'll make it easier for me to write the chapters!**

**Anyway, PLEASE review! They make me happy and warm inside!**


	8. Chapter 8 - dedicated to KLime (guest)

_**Hans clucked his tongue, mockingly. "You seem to underestimate my intelligence, brother. It is insulting, even. No, I am not suggesting that we go to war with Arendelle, for she is, as you say, much too well-defended for us. However, from what I know, are the Queen and Princess of Arendelle not related to the Queen of Corona?"**_

_**Something seemed to click in Alec's mind. "Are you saying that if we go to war with Corona, Arendelle will join?"**_

_**Hans clapped his hands together, grinning. "That's exactly what I'm saying brother, but that's not all."**_

_**Alec seemed suddenly interested in his sibling's plans, as he took a step closer to the bars of the cell, eager to hear the rest of the scheme. Hans was amused at his brother's rapid involvement in his plot. "That would satisfy our need of war, but what about the need of revenge?" Hans was in his element by now. "And I know exactly the way to get it."**_

* * *

Odd rubbed Elsa's back gently, holding her silver-blonde hair back, as she threw up once again into the chamber pot, moaning. She'd almost been living in the bathroom for the past three days, vomiting almost all day-and-night. To his credit, Odd had remained faithfully with her, despite her dishevelled appearance, and even worse, the gag-worthy smell. During one of her 'free periods' - when she wasn't being sick - Elsa had actually commented how un-Queenly it all was, and her companion had actually agreed, teasing her, but it made her laugh, and she was grateful.

Well, at least until that triggered another spell of vomiting.

People had been in and out of the room during the whole time, whether it be Anna, maids bringing food and drink to Elsa and Odd, although the Queen could only stomach water and was, as a result, getting very hungry and quite cranky, an emotion that she rarely ever showed. Still, though, she didn't want to try eating again, because her nausea seemed to finally be clearing up, and she didn't want to risk another wave of it.

She sighed, as she felt her stomach clench up again and she retched, but nothing came up, and she groaned as it happened a few more times, before eventually ceasing.

"Ugh..." She moaned, and Odd patted her back gently.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked gently, and Elsa shrugged slightly, weak and shaky from the retching.

"I think I'm a bit better now." She laughed nervously. "I don't think there's actually anything left in my stomach for me to be sick."

Odd smiled, as he helped her stand up, but he noticed how shaky she was, and he bent down to pick her up, bridal style. "Come on," He whispered. "I'll get you to the bed, and then you need to try and eat something. Else you'll starve, and we don't want that."

Elsa laughed quietly, as she was carried to the bed and gently laid down. "You sound like you're talking to a child."

Odd chuckled, as he moved a lock of sweaty hair from Elsa's face and smiled. "Sorry," He apologised, before placing a kiss on his fingers, and touching her forehead. "I'll be back in a bit, would you like me to get Anna?"

Elsa smiled. "That'd be wonderful. Thanks, Odd. I'd kiss you, but quite frankly, I don't want to give you this bug."

Odd chuckled, as he stood up. "I've probably caught it already by now." He said, his voice teasing. "I'll be expecting you to care for _me_ then!"

Elsa laughed, a proper, stronger, hearty laugh. "It's your own fault." She teased, not feeling sick at all any more. "But if that's the case, I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, Snowy." Odd teased, and Elsa raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Snowy!" She snapped, but her voice was not harsh, but gentle, surprised sense. Odd chuckled as he walked through the doorway.

He shrugged in amusement. "What? It suits you." He teased, and grinned at her. "I'll go find Anna. I think she wants to talk with you, anyway."

* * *

Mia laughed as she danced around happily, spinning, her long, elbow length bleach blonde hair twirling around her as she went. She giggled happily as she skipped around her friend, Arne, cheekily grabbing his hand and pulling him around in a circle.

The pair laughed together, their young, high-pitched voices ringing through the still air. Eventually, they got bored of dancing around, and Arne found a small bag of marbles in his pocket, which he brought out for the pair to play with.

Arne was a young boy, a poor, disabled orphan, who would show up sometimes, randomly, to play with the little Princess. He was older than Mia at the age of three and a half. The princess was very advanced for her age, however, and as such, the boy had no problems with playing with her. She didn't act like a baby, and that was enough for him.

At any rate, no one else would ever play with him, so the little Princess was the only person he could trust to keep him company, and not judge him instantly. Most people looked at him with disdain, no one taking the time to get to know him like Mia did.

Mia rolled her marble, and cheered as it hit the striker, making Arne scowl, before he noticed the larger ball rolling away. Quickly, he scrambled up after it clumsily, not wanting to lose his precious marble, and Mia cried out, making adults come rushing outside.

"No, Arne!" She shouted, "Stay 'way from edge!"

Arne, however, didn't notice the Princess' warning, as he hurriedly scurried after the little ball, which dropped off the edge of the cobbled floor and fell down to the village below, smashing from the impact. The boy pounded his fist angrily on the ground, and he began to try to climb awkwardly down, making the adults surrounding him stare in a mixture of awe and concern. Even though many did not actually see Arne as a human being, for he was so different to them, the way that he managed to manoeuvre the face was truly amazing, all things considered.

Mia yelled for him to stop again, crying out, "Stop, Arne! Stop! You get hurt!" But nothing could deter the young boy from his mission. Mia ran over to him, and in her fear, she didn't notice that the floor was becoming increasingly slippery, as a small layer of ice formed around her feet.

Arne noticed a second too late that there was ice on the ledge, and slipped as his foot made contact with it, falling down a metre or so to a dirt outcrop below, crying out at the impact and the shock, not really hurt, but stunned.

"Arne!" Mia cried out, as she lay down on the slippery floor, trying to reach him, but her short, stubby arms were not up for the job, and she could not help. More ice began to form, and then, suddenly, the ledge Arne was sat on gave way. The princess cried out in fear for her friend, and large icicles sprung up behind her, almost hitting the surrounding villagers, but luckily not quite.

Mia didn't notice the scared looks the adults surrounding her were sending - she was only a year and a half old, and there was no way she could control her powers. Not completely, anyway, and even though she was so advanced, she was still only one and a half. They had no problem with Queen Elsa, but she was not dangerous. The young princess could be, quite possibly.

She spun around to the adults, who all instantly backed up a step, and she cried, "Someone, 'elp Arne!" But no one reacted, all too dazed to process the girl's request. No one really cared for the child, either - no one knew where he came from, and a large majority of people assumed that he would bring bad fortune along with him. Perhaps part of this distrust towards the child stemmed from his physical appearance - the poor boy only had a stump, in the place where his right arm should have been, and people did not have confidence in people with such handicaps. She begged again, but still, no one would help, all seemingly frozen in place, but they couldn't get past the icicles anyway.

Mia began to sob, and then, suddenly, she stopped, and, with a dazed expression on her face, she turned to the adults again and waved her hand. A few small snowflakes emerged from her fingertips, and gently floated over to one of the villagers, before settling upon the man's nose, and disappearing.

For a few seconds, he appeared normal, but then his body shook, before returning to normal, and slowly, he began to make his way over to the edge where Arne had fallen, breaking the ice away with his hands, not reacting at all when he slipped on the slippery floor beneath him.

It wasn't long before the man reached Arne, and slowly, he helped to pull the child back up to the village, before placing him down, and then walking back over to the crowd.

For a second, everything was silent, and then suddenly, the man collapsed in a faint, out cold on the cobblestone floor. It was a few moments before anyone spoke up.

"It was the princess!" A boy, nearing the age of his teenage years, but not quite there yet, shouted. Mia glanced at him, confused at why she was being accused, and she instantly recognised him.

She glared at him, her blue eyes icy cold, and he stared back at her with just as much disdain. Their paths had crossed before, when Mia had been riding Lysse, and had knocked over the boy's carefully crafted stone sculpture of the Arendellian symbol. Though the little princess had apologised a lot - she had inherited some of her mother's clumsiness, it appeared - the boy refused to believe that she had not hit it on purpose. Ever since, he'd made it his goal to try and get revenge on her, but it wasn't easy to hurt a Princess without getting a prison cell with one's name on it.

The boy grinned coldly, and Mia shrunk back a bit, staring around at the frightened villagers around her.

"She hypnotised him. Don't you see! She's dangerous! She's too young to control the curses she has! We must stay away from her!"

Arne, slowly getting up, in pain from his fall, glared at the boy. "She's not dangerous!" He cried out, but instead of being intimidating, it was actually almost amusing, the toddler arguing with the teenager.

"She is!" The boy snapped back, and he turned to his fellow villagers. "She can't even talk properly yet! There's no way she could control herself! She'll hurt someone, and she can _hypnotise_ people! She'll make someone... walk off a cliff! Like she just did!"

Though the villagers had confidence that Mia was a sweet child, they all seemed to accept that the boy had a point. A few had begun to retreat away from the girl in fear, while others were staring suspiciously at her, untrusting.

A disturbance came at the back of the crowd, and Anna pushed through, glancing worriedly at her daughter. She didn't mind her playing with Arne, because she always hated the idea of the child being alone - she'd had enough of that as a girl herself. However, she was a little concerned about the massive crowd.

"What's going on here?" She asked, as she walked over to Mia and picked her up, smiling gently at her. "Come on, Sweetie. It's lunchtime. Do you want to bring Arne?"

Mia shook her head, her long, straight blonde hair flying gently in the wind. "Arne no like castle." She said, before explaining. "Too much. Too big, many walls."

Anna frowned a little, but nodded anyway, accepting it. She looked around the crowd, and smiled. "I don't know what's going on here, but... well, bye!"

She tried to leave, but the teenager stepped in front of her, and glared coldly.

"Your daughter is a brat!" He shouted, unable to stop himself, controlled by the desire to put Mia down in front of her mother. "She's dangerous!"

Anna gasped, as she looked down at her baby daughter worriedly. "W-what do you mean?" She asked, her eyes shining. The boy laughed.

"You know exactly what I mean, _Princess_." He said, all reasonable thoughts lost in his anger. "She has ice powers, and she can't control them. She nearly stabbed someone!"

Anna looked terrified, as she tightened her grip on her daughter protectively. "No, no! She... she nearly can! She's just learning to master it."

The boy didn't look impressed. "If you say so, Princess. But that's not all, is it? That's not all you've been hiding from us!"

Anna looked confused, now. "N-no, she doesn't." She stuttered, scared by the terrified looks many of the villagers were sending her.

"Yes, she does, Princess." The boy snapped back. "Never seen her hypnotise someone before?"

Anna had to hold back a gasp. "N-no! She can't! She just makes snow!"

"Believe what you want, but mark my words - she's going to get someone killed."

Anna felt her legs go weak, and she struggled not to collapse. There came a disturbance from behind, and Elsa quickly came forward to help her sister, grabbing her shoulder to support her.

The Queen turned to her guards, and said simply, "Take this boy to one of the free prison cells. Hopefully a week of confinement there will teach him some self-discipline and to hold his tongue." She then turned to the villagers. "There is nothing to see here. Please, be on your way."

Carefully, gently, she helped support Anna as she walked back up to the castle, by which time Arne had disappeared. The Princess stopped when she got inside the doors, and quickly placed Mia down, before she collapsed onto the floor herself.

"Now, everyone knows." She muttered, before looking at her sister. "What can we do? If what that boy said is true - if Mia really can control people - then the word will soon spread."

Elsa looked at her niece fearfully. "We can't let her out of our sight. She isn't safe anywhere now. One way or another, someone will try to hurt her, out of fear or greed."

Anna looked at the new portrait of the Queen and her Prince, and sighed. "We can't ever let her out, really, can we?" She asked, sadly. Elsa shook her head, not know how to soften the news for her sister.

"It's true - we can't let her out. Perhaps not indefinitely, but she'll have to remain here, in the castle, for the most part. If we don't... I can't imagine what will happen."

Anna felt tears leak from her eyes. "Oh, Elsa. I feel terrible! How can I keep her locked up forever? She'll hate me!"

Elsa sighed. "I know, Anna. We'll try to work things out, but... for now, though it pains me, we really have no choice. She could get hurt. You saw how that boy reacted to her, didn't you? People don't trust magic very much, even my own - in a young child, they'll never see her for anything but a monster."

Lunch was forgotten, as Elsa helped Anna and Mia to the lounge, where the Princess lay crying all evening at how messed up everything was, whilst the young girl entertained herself with gentle snowflakes, a constant reminder of the trouble they were all in.

* * *

**Ooooh! I didn't get many reviews last chapter - I might cry! Please review! It makes my day and encourages me to keep writing - without them, I'd lose all inspiration!**

**So, what did you think of the chapter? What about Mia's new power? (I did say she'd be powerful, didn't I?)**

**Also, things are starting to heat up now! If you have any chapter requests, get them in now, while they can still be fitted in!**


	9. Chapter 9 - dedicated to FrozenGirl123

_**"It's true - we can't let her out. Perhaps not indefinitely, but she'll have to remain here, in the castle, for the most part. If we don't... I can't imagine what will happen."**_

_**Anna felt tears leak from her eyes. "Oh, Elsa. I feel terrible! How can I keep her locked up forever? She'll hate me!"**_

_**Elsa sighed. "I know, Anna. We'll try to work things out, but... for now, though it pains me, we really have no choice. She could get hurt. You saw how that boy reacted to her, didn't you? People don't trust magic very much, even my own - in a young child, they'll never see her for anything but a monster."**_

_**Lunch was forgotten, as Elsa helped Anna and Mia to the lounge, where the Princess lay crying all evening at how messed up everything was, whilst the young girl entertained herself with gentle snowflakes, a constant reminder of the trouble they were all in.**_

* * *

Mia sighed sadly as she sat in the castle courtyard, watching Seier and Sven playing together. It was sweet, the large wolf pouncing at his reindeer companion, while the said hoofed animal sprung around out of the way and tried to pick the canine up with his antlers. In truth, both could easily get hurt, whether it be bitten, in Sven's case, or stood on, in Seier's, but either way, the two were happy for now.

Lysse was laying down next to Mia, just as bored. She always knew when 'her girl' was upset, and would never leave her side during such times, as was the case now. The young princess, just turned 23 months, lay down, staring up at the sky above her. It was a bright, sunny day, although it was November now, and the air was crisp and cool. Still, the girl didn't mind - similarly to her aunt Elsa, the cold never bothered her.

After a while, three minutes and thirteen seconds to be exact, Mia got bored of watching the gentle, white clouds floating along silently, and she even began to resent them. They were all little sheep in her eyes, wandering aimlessly with no real goals or intentions. They simply did the same thing every day, confined to the exact same routine when they could so easily rebel, break free. She couldn't quite grasp the concept that they were not alive, and it almost made her angry that they never did anything different, when they had so much freedom, and yet here she was, longing to be able to just do something - anything - but not being able to.

Trapped in the castle, bored, for two months, now.

She was a bright child, and knew she shouldn't be feeling so bitter. She knew her aunt's past, knew how she had grown up due to her powers, constantly hidden away in her room. At least she was able to roam free, almost. She was glad she was allowed to wander around the castle, and play out in the courtyard. She was even allowed to go with her father ice harvesting some days, simply as an excuse to let her get out of the castle, and at other times, she'd go exploring the forest with her uncle, Odd.

Still, it wasn't enough. She was hardly confined, but she wished she could go outside into the villages again, like she used to. Occasionally Arne would come up to play with her in the courtyard, but he had never liked the castle much - it scared him, although Mia wasn't quite sure why. She assumed that he just didn't like all of the grandeur, but still, it made her sad that she couldn't go and find him, so that they could spend some time together as they always had before.

Standing up, she walked slowly over to where five wooden stakes, arranged in the shape of a cross, were hammered into the ground, and she picked up a horseshoe gently. Focusing on the middle stake, she squinted her eyes before throwing the curved metal, and she huffed when she missed her goal. Bending down again, she picked up another, and this time, aimed for the one closest to her, figuring she might as well start small, and then get better.

With only the smallest amount of enthusiasm, Mia smiled as the horseshoe met the stake and fell around it, but it did little to improve her mood - it was no fun when there was no one to play with.

She sighed. "C'mon, 'Ysse." She said, as she stroked her reindeer's soft head, where tiny antlers were beginning to grow. "Let's go practise riding."

The reindeer bleated, as she bent down to let Mia on her back, before taking off at a bouncy canter towards the schooling ring. In the two months she'd been isolated, the Princess had improved at riding greatly, spending much of her time in the arena practising, for she simply had nothing else to do.

* * *

Anna sighed as she looked out of the window, watching her daughter riding the reindeer around the schooling ring.

"I feel so bad, Kristoff," She said, as she watched the young Princess slip backwards off of Lysse's back as she tried to jump a small pole on the floor. Anna cringed slightly, but she knew her daughter was fine - over the past two months, she'd grown used to seeing the child ending up on the ground, and luckily, the reindeer calf was still small, so there wasn't much distance for Mia to fall. "I wish we could let her out into the village again. She's so bored, being here all the time."

Kristoff sighed as well, as he walked over to Anna and wrapped his arm around her waist. "I know," He said, "But what can we do? You know how scared people were of her before, and they won't trust her if they see her. It's obvious she's more powerful - or at least, will be - than Elsa, so people will be afraid that she'll end up, well, setting off another winter."

Anna nodded. "I know, I know," She muttered, "People will be afraid until she can completely control her powers, but being cooped up won't help her."

"Being scared of people's reactions won't, either, Anna." Kristoff pointed out, and he pulled his wife in closer as she began to sob quietly.

"I guess..." She whispered, and her eyes drifted to the girl outside once again. "I just hope she can learn to control it soon. She's doing well, but she's only two. How can anyone expect her to learn something as complicated as this at her age?"

Kristoff was silent for a moment. "I don't know, Anna. I really don't know."

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as Odd returned from patrolling the forests for any sign of trouble. He'd set out late in the afternoon, and by now, it was beginning to get even colder than it had been before.

He was worried about Storm Chaser, now that it was getting colder, worried that if he was on his own, he'd freeze to death. However, the horse was a valuable stud stallion, and if he hadn't escaped on his own, he was probably still okay.

Probably.

Despite numerous searches, Odd had never been able to find his horse, who had been his only companion for thirteen years. It made him sad, but by now, he'd lost any hope of ever finding him again.

The horse wasn't the only thing that was going missing, though. Over the last month, there had been reports of at least 8 people from the villages going missing, and it was beginning to get worrying. Some people were blaming Mia for forcing them away, but most, luckily, didn't believe that.

Either way, though, they were still going missing, and it was worrying. Although in general people were still okay, it wouldn't be too long before they began to get scared and hid away, and then, just like that, poof! The kingdom of Arendelle would end up falling, and that was a terrifying concept indeed.

Odd sighed as he glanced out towards the horizon, looking over at the sea between the little houses of the villagers, the new horse Elsa had given him allowing him a greater elevation. His new stallion, Brandy Shot, wasn't Storm Chaser, but he really was a lovely horse, in the prime of life. As a result, he could see things from higher up, and as such, he could also see more.

Squinting, he noticed a little black blob on the horizon, and after a few minutes, he could make out the distinctive shape of a ship. Gasping, he quickly turned his mount around, and rushed back to the castle, to tell Elsa of the new vessel coming ever closer.

* * *

Mia was sat in her room, playing fetch with Seier, when she noticed the ship landing at the docks, and she squealed in excitement when she saw the flag that was fluttering about gently in the wind. Jumping off of her little desk, which she had been using to sit on so that she could see, she ran quickly to her parents' room, where she found the two tangled up in sheets, looking as if they were enjoying themselves.

"Mama? Papa?" She asked, confused, and her parents quickly jumped apart, blushing furiously. "What are 'oo doing?"

Anna stuttered for a moment, while Kristoff looked as if he had just been told that Sven was now dancing the makarena. Sven hated dancing. He had too many left hooves. Not to mention his antlers always seemed to get in the way when he was trying - he always ended tangled up.

After a few seconds of silence, Anna recovered the use of her brain, as she said, "I'm just giving Papa a special cuddle,". Mia frowned, then she smiled.

"I have special cuddle too?" She asked, and Anna shook her head.

"No, Sweetie, because then I'd have to tickle you." She said, making things up as she went, "Papa likes me tickling him," Kristoff chuckled to himself at this, "But you don't like it when I tickle you, do you?"

Mia shook her head. "No! Too tickly!" She cried out, before remembering what she had come to say. "Oh!" She exclaimed, "I saw big boat! With 'Punzel's flag! Outside!"

It took the two adults a few seconds to process the information, but then Anna gasped, and quickly got out of the bed, rushing to the door. Mia frowned.

"Mama." She said, "You not wear clothes."

Anna looked down at herself and blushed. "Oops." She muttered, while Kristoff just laughed at her as he got up himself, pulling on his uniform - something he'd grown much less annoyed at - and picking Mia up. Once the older Princess had retrieved her dress from its discarded position on the floor, and had done up her corset, they were ready to go.

* * *

Anna smiled, as she waved excitedly to the pair who were now descending down from the ship. Her hair was thrown up in a quick ponytail, not in her usual braided pigtails, and she was wearing her old dress from Elsa's winter.

Rapunzel grinned widely, as she ran down to greet her cousin, engulfing her in a massive, almost sisterly hug, while Mia cuddled her leg gently, and Eugene walked over to greet Kristoff, slapping his back in a 'man hug' by way of greeting.

"Rapunzel!" Anna cried out when the pair broke apart. "This is a surprise! What are you doing here?"

Rapunzel giggled happily, and Eugene put his hands on his hips, shaking his head in amusement, rolling his eyes at Kristoff at their wives' actions. "Me and Eugene were just on the way to one of Corona's alliances, for some boring meeting, and the weather's been favourable. We're a couple of days ahead of schedule, so we took a slight detour to come and visit!"

Anna looked absolutely thrilled. "That's brilliant!" She said, happily, as she took her cousin's hand and dragged her towards the castle, but stopped when Rapunzel said, "Woah, woah, woah!" Anna paused, and looked down at the Blonde-haired Princess' leg, where her daughter was still clinging on tightly.

Rapunzel giggled when she saw the little girl. "Hello, there!" She cried out, "What are you up to, little miss?" Bending down, she picked the child up and swung her around, laughing gleefully as the girl giggled in her high-pitched voice. "So, let me guess... You're Mia, right?"

The young princess nodded happily, her tiara almost slipping off of her head as she did so. Having the opportunity to get out of the castle meant she was extra excited, more so than usual.

"My, you've grown!" Rapunzel commented, as she gently placed her cousin's daughter back down. Patting her head gently, she smiled at Anna, and added, "She looks like you, y'know. Except for her hair... That's because of her powers, yes?"

Anna nodded, as she bent down to pick her toddler up. "Yeah," She replied, "It's been getting blonder and blonder every day, I swear. Not to mention it's really long... are you sure you haven't given her your hair by mistake?"

Rapunzel laughed, as she began to walk back with Anna to the castle. Kristoff and Eugene laughed, before they both shrieked in surprise as Maximus came galloping, bowling them over like skittles. He whinnied in amusement, before trotting bouncily after the three princesses, his tail and head held high, looking rather comical as he lifted his knees as high as he could.

Anna, Rapunzel and Mia reached the castle first, close followed by Maximus, Eugene and Kristoff, who ended up landing in a pile of hay, thanks to a well aimed buck from the stunning white stallion. Standing up and glaring at the horse, they brushed themselves off as they made their way into the grand building, all sighing at its warmth, only noticed that they had been cold when they were warm.

Anna opened her mouth to speak, when the doors burst open, and Odd stood there, gasping for breath, after having clearly run a long distance, very quickly.

"Anna! Kristoff!" He cried out, then he noticed the two new guests, and nodded briefly at them. "Princess Rapunzel. Prince Eugene."

Turning back to the Princess, he ran his hands through his hair, as he said quickly, "Where's Elsa?" Anna shrugged.

"I don't know, why?" She asked, and Odd looked even more worried.

"There's a ship, it's approaching Arendelle, quickly." He replied, and Anna giggled in amusement.

"That's just Rapunzel and Eugene's ship!" She said, but Odd shook his head.

His bright green eyes were dark, and had lost their usual sparkle, replaced by a glint of anger. "No, it's not their ship. There's another one... a much larger one... about a hundred and fifty metres from Arendelle. It's coming up from the South, not the east."

Anna frowned for a moment, before her eyes widened. "The South...?" She asked, and Kristoff's eyes hardened.

"The Southern Isles." He bit out, and no one would deny his prediction. No one could believe it to be false.

* * *

"Everything's going perfectly, Alec." Hans said, as he ran the blade of his knife down the wall, making a sharp scratching noise. At the request of his brother, the 'traitor' of the Southern Isles had been moved to a cell in the castle, so that he could be "kept an eye on", and "given the chance to redeem himself".

"Hans," Alec began, "Don't you think we ought to... you know, make more of an impact?"

Hans chuckled darkly. "Here's the thing, Brother." He said, "You do not understand these things, whereas I do. Trust me - we need to pace ourselves. We get them on their toes, and they'll be clumsy, disorientated. Put a little fear in their hearts, and it'll soon spread to their brains, and when it does, then we know that we've succeeded. You can't rush these things. Get to know your prey a bit, before you try to destroy it."

His eyes glinted maliciously. "You never know what tricks they'll pull otherwise."

* * *

**Dun dun dun! So, what did you think of this chapter? It's a bit longer than the past few, so hopefully you'll like it!**

**Reviews are getting better, but there are still less than usual - please, please review! I work hard to fit in writing these chapters with school, homework and revision, and it makes me feel good to get something back for my time.**

**(Sorry if that sounds a bit like I'm nagging you, but I really need reviews or I wont be able to keep writing. Frozen Powers has become part of my life now - I'd hate for it to end just because I didn't know if my story was good enough or not.)  
**

**Signing out for now, I hope to see you (and your review! teehee) soon! **

**\- Sophisticated Grace**


	10. Chapter 10 - dedicated to Lany19

_**"Everything's going perfectly, Alec." Hans said, as he ran the blade of his knife down the wall, making a sharp scratching noise. At the request of his brother, the 'traitor' of the Southern Isles had been moved to a cell in the castle, so that he could be "kept an eye on", and "given the chance to redeem himself".**_

_**"Hans," Alec began, "Don't you think we ought to... you know, make more of an impact?"**_

_**Hans chuckled darkly. "Here's the thing, Brother." He said, "You do not understand these things, whereas I do. Trust me - we need to pace ourselves. We get them on their toes, and they'll be clumsy, disorientated. Put a little fear in their hearts, and it'll soon spread to their brains, and when it does, then we know that we've succeeded. You can't rush these things. Get to know your prey a bit, before you try to destroy it."**_

_**His eyes glinted maliciously. "You never know what tricks they'll pull otherwise."**_

* * *

Anna gasped quietly, as she looked towards where Odd was pointing, and saw the approaching ship moving at an incredible, impossible speed towards the kingdom. With large, wide blue eyes, she turned to Kristoff and Eugene and shouted, "Go and find Elsa!". She then picked up Mia, and looked over to her cousin and Odd, who were looking just as frightened as she was.

"Come on!" She cried, as the wind began to howl in her ears. "We need to get all of the villagers up here to the castle! If there's an attack, it's the only place they'll be safe. At least for a while."

Rapunzel and Odd nodded determinedly, and Anna placed Mia gently back down. The child looked absolutely terrified.

"Mama?" She asked, her voice shaking. "What going on?"

Anna tried to look confident, for her daughter's sake, as well as her own. "Bad people are coming, Sweetie. They might try to hurt you. You have to get inside and stay hidden, okay?"

Mia looked unsure, but she did as she was told anyway, running off on her chubby little legs, a little unsteady from fear. Anna could only pray she'd be okay.

"Come on!" She cried out, as the wind suddenly picked up, and she stumbled slightly from the unexpected force. "Let's get to the stables, then we can travel quicker!"

Anna's companions nodded, and hurriedly, they raced to the boxes, where they found Heidi, Odd's younger sister, mucking out one of the stalls.

"Princesses! Odd!" She cried out, and hurriedly curtsied, but then she noticed the grim expressions on their faces. "Whatever is the matter?" The teenaged girl asked.

"There's an enemy boat approaching from the South," Anna explained in a rush, her voice high-pitched from the fear that was brewing, bubbling in her stomach. "We need to get all of the villagers up to the castle."

Heidi looked worried. "Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked, and Anna frowned. There wasn't much a servant girl could do in a situation like this, but then a thought occurred to the Princess.

"Actually, yes, you can!" She said, "Could you go to the leader of the navy and tell him to get all of the boats out, as soon as possible. We've got ten minutes, if that, so we need to act fast! Also, tell someone to ring the bells - we need the villagers outside."

Heidi nodded, and rushed off, and the three royals went to their horses, Odd grabbing Brandy Shot, Anna fetching Misty, and Rapunzel whistled for Maximus. Without bothering to get any tack on the horses, the group jumped quickly onto the animals' backs and headed out of the stables, out into the massive castle courtyard, at a fast gallop.

"Anna!" Odd called out over the thundering hooves, "We need to split up! Arendelle's a big kingdom; we may not have enough time to save everyone, but if we can go separate ways then we'll cover more ground!"

Anna nodded, and shouted back, "Get anyone with a horse to help!" Rapunzel and Odd nodded, before turning their horses sharply and heading off in a separate directions, trying to save whoever they could.

* * *

Kristoff rushed around, crossing paths with Eugene multiple times, but their searches were fruitless - even with the help of all of the servants, the Queen was no where to be found.

"She's not here!" Kristoff called to Eugene, "We need to find her - she can stop the ship, but I don't know where she could be!"

"I-" Eugene began, but Kristoff cut him off as he looked out of the window.

"Shit!" He yelled, as he began to run to the stables to grab Sven, terrified as his two year old daughter ran across a newly-frozen fjord to reach the land on the other side, sat on the back of her little reindeer calf. "What is she doing!"

Eugene frowned, his eyes wide with worry; Mia was almost like a niece to him. "You go and get her, I'll keep looking for Elsa."

Kristoff nodded, and ran out of the hall.

* * *

Mia squinted her eyes as the wind howled around her, the blonde hair on her head swirling like snow around her face, making it hard to see, and the child had to trust her reindeer friend to go in the right direction.

She didn't completely understand what was going on - it was all so confusing - but she had managed to pick up on the fact that there was someone bad coming to hurt everyone, and that the only person who could stop them was her Auntie Elsa. Naturally, she was always a curious child, and she'd been more than willing to help search for the Queen, but from her low vantage point, Mia had been able to pick up on something everyone else had missed: a very fine layer of ice trailing across the ground.

Though it was cold, the young Princess knew that it was not cool enough for natural ice to form. Studying the trail with her large, inquisitive eyes, she had noticed something was a little off, but it was a few seconds before she realised the soft snowflake pattern that was gently engraved in the faint, light blue substance.

When she'd seen the ice the first time, she'd figured, there wasn't time to find her father, and had set off in search of her aunt herself, deciding that it would be more beneficial for her to follow the Queen's trail. It had not occurred to her once that Sven, being much older and bigger than Lysse, would have been able to make up the time spent searching for Kristoff by running faster, but the child was just two years old. Understandably, she hadn't yet picked up the skill of quick analysis of a situation, even less so a potentially dangerous one, where her decision could affect the safety of others.

Mia glanced around as she smoothed the long, blonde hair from her face, looking desperately for her aunt. She didn't know how to count above ten, and there was no way of her knowing how much longer it would be until the ship arrived at Arendelle.

One thing she did know, was that however much time was left, there wasn't much time spare.

_I must have gone for least five minutes now, _She thought to herself, as she paused at the edge of the mountain and looked down at the sea. She was always able to think in near-perfect english, but her voice box simply wasn't developed enough to allow her to speak properly. _And ship is nearly at Arendelle..._

"Go, 'Ysse!" The child called out, as she clucked her tongue and kicked the reindeer into a fast gallop, which she had perfected over the last month, trapped in the castle with little else to do.

Lysse's cloven hooves pounded across the solid ground, as she bleated tiredly and Mia patted her neck encouragingly. The reindeer whined slightly, but kept going, rushing forward with a final burst energy at a speed she'd never before managed to reach.

"There!" Mia yelled, pointing. "There it is, 'Ysse!"

And indeed, in front of her, in the direction she was pointing, the magnificent palace of ice stood tall, shining lavishly in the fading sunlight, brilliant shades of red and orange.

"Stay here." Mia said, patting her friend's head as she sat down in he thin layer of snow, that covered the top of the mountain all year around. "I be back soon."

The young princess looked on in awe at the massive ice sculpture, as she rushed up the ice staircase, no regard for the fact that she could easily fall and hurt herself. She'd heard stories about the place, seen painting of it, and had looked at it from a distance, even. Nothing could actually capture the real magic of it like being up-close could.

"Auntie?" Mia called out, as she knocked gently on the ice doors, which swung open, and the girl rushed inside. "Auntie Elsa?" She repeated, louder this time, when she heard a low growl off to her side.

Spinning to look in the direction the noise was coming from, Mia let out a scream when she saw a massive snowman, or rather, snow monster, looming over her, ice growing from his back. Clearly he was angry.

The young Princess whimpered, and she took a few steps backwards, slipping over clumsily in fear. Her eyes widened, as the monster approached her, his voice raucous, almost like a growl.

"Go away!" He snarled. "No intruders welcomed here!"

Mia whimpered again. She didn't understand what 'intruders' meant, but she had a pretty good idea that her presence was not allowed in the palace.

"P-please!" She stuttered in her young voice, "I go now... Don't hurt me!"

The monster frowned, and picked Mia up. "Get out?" He said, as he began to escort her to the door.

"Marshmallow!" A regal voice sounded through the crisp air. "Put her down!"

The snow monster turned to his Mistress, and nodded, letting go of the Princess so that she fell towards the solid ground, at least ten, fifteen metres below.

"_Mia_!"

* * *

"Good. There are a couple of small villages still left on the outskirts of the kingdom, but hopefully we can stop the ship before they get there."

Rapunzel smiled at her cousin, nodding. "The only villages I had left on my third of the kingdom were the ones in the forests, and that's probably where the people from the Southern Isles would target last."

Anna grinned. "I guess that's all we can do, anyway, and it didn't go that bad, really." Walking back into the castle, Anna and Odd pulled the doors shut, and then hurried to the window to watch the ship's location.

The Princess frowned, as she watched the ship drawing ever closer. Thankfully, the wind had begun to blow towards the Southern Isles' vessel, slowing their approach, but they were still gaining on the kingdom, now only fifty metres, give or take some.

Odd frowned as he surveyed the situation, thinking. "We've got five minutes, I'll say. We've had more time than we did earlier already, but we need Elsa, and it'll only be a few minutes until they start to attack."

Anna felt her heart drop like a rock, plummeting in the sea.

"They haven't found her yet?"

Odd shook his head, sadly, as there came a disturbance from behind them, in the form of a rather panicked looking Eugene Fitzherbert.

"Did you see Kristoff and Mia?" He called, and Anna's eyes widened, as she shook her head worriedly. Eugene frowned, his brow creased in worry. "Mia ran off a while ago, and Kristoff went after her."

Anna gasped. "They're still out there!" She cried, as she rushed off outside.

"Anna!" Rapunzel called after her, but she'd already gone.

* * *

"_Mia_!" Elsa yelled, and she quickly made a large pile of soft snow to cushion the child's fall. "It's okay, Marshmallow. She's a friend."

The snowman bowed his head, his icy spines retracting as he walked slowly off. Elsa rushed over to her niece, and helped to pick her up out of the snow.

"Mia! What are you doing here?" Elsa scolded, but she didn't use too stern a voice, knowing it would just upset the girl if she did. The young Princess looked worriedly at the Queen.

"Arendelle in trouble!" She cried out, "Is a ship coming attack! From the South!"

Elsa gasped, understanding quickly what it meant, and she picked Mia up in a hurry. "Come on, Sweetie - we need to get back to help!"

Forgetting the concerns that had been troubling her, Elsa rushed outside and ran down the icy stairs quickly, nearly slipping a few times, but luckily, she was able to stabilise herself. Reaching the bottom of the grand steps, she launched off the bottom and landed on her feet as if she was riding a snowboard, as a thick trail of ice materialised under her feet.

Holding out her free arm to keep herself balanced, she shot down the hill at an incredible speed, Mia in her arms, with Lysse following quickly behind, not wanting to remain, alone, at the palace.

"Hold on!" Elsa cried out, "We'll be there soon!"

* * *

"Kristoff!" Anna called out, relieved, "There you are! Did you find Mia?" Kristoff hung his head, shaking it. "I've searched and searched, but I just can't find her anywhere."

Anna gasped, as she looked at the mountain. A small tear trickled down her cheek, but then her eyes focused on a massive, blue trail growing at an incredibly fast rate towards Arendelle.

"What is that?" She asked, and she felt the weight upon her heart grow even greater as she feared for her daughter's safety. She rushed over to the edge of the fjord, and her eyes widened as she saw the thick trail of ice approaching.

"Is that-?" Kristoff began, his voice quiet, for he, too, was worried about Mia. She wasn't completely helpless, what with her powers and all, but still, she was so young, and small for her age as it was.

The ice grew towards the pair, and Elsa came sliding into view, Mia grinning in her arms. Anna felt so relieved, and she rushed over, slipping, to grab her baby daughter in her arms, holding her so tightly it was a miracle she could still breath.

"Oh, Mia!" She cried out, tears of relief rolling down her cheeks, "I'm so, so glad you're okay!"

Elsa smiled, but then she noticed the ship in the near-distance, and gasped.

"Come on!" She cried out, "We have to get back to the castle!"

* * *

"There!" The captain commanded, and the men on-board the vessel grinned, turning their canon to face the direction that had been pointed out. The blast was deafening, but it was the projectile that would do the most damage.

* * *

"Watch out!" Elsa cried, as she pushed the group out of the way, narrowly avoiding a flaming, wooden cannon ball. "Get back to the castle! I'll hold them off!"

A few gun shots sounded, and it was obvious that the navy had began to deploy their ships, to try and destroy the enemy's, but it was difficult - the Southern Isles' vessel was so close to the kingdom now, almost a horse's jumping distance away, there was no way to attack it without destroying Arendelle, too.

Anna, Kristoff and Mia rushed to get back to the castle, as they dodged the onslaught of flaming cannon balls. Elsa was having just as hard a time, if not even more difficult, as she attempted to put out the flaming, burning buildings that had been hit.

They managed to get near to the castle, not twenty metres away, when a raucous voice came from the side, making the group jump in shock.

"There's no where to run, now." The voice said, and a man, a cloaked figure, stepped out from the shadows. "It's too late."

Elsa spun on him, positioning her hands, ready to attack, but the man just laughed, as two men jumped from the sides, shoving two tight-fitting gloves onto Elsa's hands. The Queen squirmed, but she could not get them off.

Anna gasped, just as a man leaped from the shadows and pulled her arms behind her back, making her drop Mia on the ground, causing the child to scream out in pain from the sudden pain that ripped through her body. The poor girl lay moaning on the floor, and the Queen and Princess struggled to escape their captors, but to no avail.

Kristoff growled, as he struggled against his constraints - two large ropes tied around both of his hands, tied to the lamp-post behind, but there was no escaping. The men from the southern Isles laughed, as they pulled sharp knifes from their belts, and Mia screamed in fear, snowflakes bursting forth from her palm, swirling around the leader of the group, resting on his nose and placing him in a trance, standing there, doing nothing. The remaining men gasped.

"Grab that brat!" One yelled, and soon, three men were on top of Mia, struggling to keep the squirming child still, while avoiding the icicles shooting up from the ground.

A bullet whizzed past Mia's head by inches, hitting one man in the neck, and warm, dark, crimson red blood shot from the hole, making the baby princess scream in fear, but the men seemed to barely bat an eyelid at their companion, more worried about the guards shooting at them, led by an angry ex-thief.

"Get out of here!" One of the men said, "Go! To the ship!"

"What about-" One began, but a round of bullets passed through his body before he could finish, and that was enough for the other men, leaving their captives where they were, dragging the youngest princess off.

"MIA!" Anna yelled, and, only being tied down loosely, she managed to break free, as Kristoff succeeded also. Elsa managed to rip off her gloves with her teeth and froze the ropes until they simply snapped, but it was too late. The group rushed down to the ship, where Mia was screaming, terrified, not quite able to control her powers enough to stop the people taking her away. Controlling people was still difficult for her.

The wind was blowing away from Arendelle, and by the time Anna, Kristoff and Elsa reached the docks, the ship was already almost out of sight.

"No!" Anna yelled, "No..."

She broke down in tears, as she watched her daughter sail away from her. Elsa quickly used her magic to freeze the sea, but she had no way of knowing if her ice had reached the ship - it was already hard to pin point.

Somewhere in the distance, a young child screamed, as she watched the ice, which had been growing toward her, slow to a halt, not actually encasing the ship at all. She wriggled and writhed against her bonds, and screamed even louder, as a massive icicle, the largest, sharpest and deadliest she'd ever made, shot through the ship.

Mia cried out again, as the ship began to go down, sinking in the freezing November water. The crew rushed around her, terrified as their ship went down, and no one came to help her. The princess sobbed quietly, terrified, but already out of tears to cry.

The tears froze on her face, as she placed her hands on the ropes and squeezed them tightly, relieving her fear and anger, and distracting her from the water beginning to rise around and above her feet.

* * *

**Okay, first of all, I've had a couple of reviews threatening to kill anyone who doesn't review. Sure, I love comments, but seriously... now I'm just scared :P**

**Anyway, I also had a comment requesting that I bring the challenges back, and I don't think that would be a bad idea. What do you guys think - bring them back, or not? (If I do, I may need some help with them)**

**Oh, and just a note in response to a review, I aim to update every three to four days. Occasionally I'll go over, and sometimes I might be under, but that's the general time guidelines :P**

**Either way, please review, because you know how much it means to me! I quite enjoyed writing this chapter, and even though I've been a bit busy, I managed to write it! Yay! Go me!**

**Haha, please review, and make sure to spread the word about the story! I'd love for it to become one of the most read frozen stories - let's see if we can achieve it!**


	11. Chapter 11 - dedicated to natsuxlucyONLY

_**The wind was blowing away from Arendelle, and by the time Anna, Kristoff and Elsa reached the docks, the ship was already almost out of sight.**_

_**"No!" Anna yelled, "No..."**_

_**She broke down in tears, as she watched her daughter sail away from her. Elsa quickly used her magic to freeze the sea, but she had no way of knowing if her ice had reached the ship - it was already hard to pin point.**_

_**Somewhere in the distance, a young child screamed, as she watched the ice, which had been growing toward her, slow to a halt, not actually encasing the ship at all. She wriggled and writhed against her bonds, and screamed even louder, as a massive icicle, the largest, sharpest and deadliest she'd ever made, shot through the ship.**_

_**Mia cried out again, as the ship began to go down, sinking in the freezing November water. The crew rushed around her, terrified as their ship went down, and no one came to help her. The princess sobbed quietly, terrified, but already out of tears to cry.**_

_**The tears froze on her face, as she placed her hands on the ropes and squeezed them tightly, relieving her fear and anger, and distracting her from the water beginning to rise around and above her feet.**_

* * *

Mia sobbed as she rocked herself back and forth, over and over again, her arms wrapped around her legs. Freezing, icy cold water was now swirling around her ankles, gradually rising up, each inch agonising, and her hands, which were resting in the water, were deadly cold. The below-zero temperatures didn't affect her, but she knew she was going to drown, and the thought absolutely terrified her.

"Mama! Papa!" She cried out, before the tears began to choke her and she stopped crying for them.

_Please help me..._

* * *

"Anna, no!" Elsa cried, as she dragged her younger sister back from the edge of the dock, where frozen ice rested atop the seas. "The guards will get Mia back. Don't worry, just have faith."

Still, no matter how much she told herself that everything would be okay, Elsa couldn't quite believe it. She glanced out over the frozen sea, and sighed.

"You know what," she said, sullenly, "You're right. We can't leave Mia's fate to someone else." Glancing around, she noticed Rapunzel running over, and sighed.

"Rapunzel!" She cried, "We're going for a bit; take care of Arendelle and the villagers in the meantime, please."

Rapunzel shook her head, as Eugene came galloping over with Maximus. "I'm coming with you." she said, her voice stating 'that's final'. "I've arranged things already; Odd's more than happy to take charge."

Elsa looked a little unsure - she didn't doubt Odd, rather he simply had not had experience, and she didn't want him getting stressed or worried. Still, there was no other option.

"Fine."

Gingerly stepping onto the ice, Elsa sighed as she deemed it to be okay, and beckoned Anna and Kristoff over. The couple began to run, quickly, over the frozen water, and Sven came galloping heavily over, his cloven hooves making a ringing clang as they contacted rhythmically with the ice.

Taking a deep breath in, Elsa thrust her hands behind her, and used her magic to create a strong gust of cold air, forcing herself forwards as if she was sliding on ice skates. With the added help of the wind, she managed to pick up a decent pace, but was it quick enough?

* * *

"Enlighten me, Brother," Alec said, as he doodled on a piece of paper. "Why not kill the Arendellians straight out? Wouldn't that simply, you know, make things so much easier?"

Hans chuckled, as he slapped his brother on the back. "You need to think about the bigger picture, Alec." He said, his voice cruel and cold.

"If we can slowly torture the Arendellians, emotionally first, perhaps physically later on, this will add fear to other countries. We can't arrange a full scale attack on Arendelle, but, with them nervous, they'll be clumsy when we go to war with Corona. They'll make stupid mistakes. Elsa will, I expect, go with her army to help, perhaps with that new Prince of hers, leaving her sister and that ice harvester behind, with the young princess. Of course, that all depends on who they manage to capture tonight.

"While at war against us, Arendelle will be weak and they won't have many men left, nor a decent ruler. Princess Anna is hardly qualified. With their men gone to war, and their Queen gone also, we can take over them, and the people will fear us; they won't revolt because they will value their lives. People will do crazy things when they're scared.

"Once again, fear is the main ingredient in our plan. We need to develop this fear, nurture it from a seed, to a sprout, to a full-grown plant. That will give us the advantage, being the only ones with the power of logical thinking remaining. Others will be acting on instinct, and instinct is not reliable.

"After we claim Arendelle, not only will the Southern Isles grow stronger again, like it used to be, but we will also have direct routes to other kingdoms. We'll easily be able to launch surprise attacks on Corona, and end the war, killing their Queen and Prince, along with Queen Elsa and Prince Odd. From there, we'll have good routes to Kingdoms such as Becrux, which are indispensable, what with their coal mines."

Alec frowned, but he kept his mouth shut as he rose up. The candles flickered slightly, then were extinguished, as he made his way to the door. Bowing to his younger brother, he swept gracefully out of the door, and Hans snarled under his breath.

_Lucky bastard, _he thought, savagely_, coming and going as he likes. Still, though, I'd have nothing without him - bah! How I hate to have debts._

Hans looked out of the tiny window in the wall of his new prison. Much more homely than the cells, but still horrid.

_Well, when we set this plan into action, they'll be praising us for pulling it off, and then my debt'll be repaid. He'd be nothing without me, either._

Hans clenched his fists. _All good things to those who wait._

* * *

Mia gasped as the water rose up past her waist, and she shivered, her body's natural reaction to cold, though it was hardly necessary - she didn't feel the cold.

She glanced fearfully at the ropes binding her hands, and then something occurred to her - icicles had managed to make the boat sink, by smashing a hole somewhere, right? What was to say they couldn't cut ropes too?

Concentrating, the young princess managed to wriggle her hand around to face the other, and, squeezing her eyes shut, she made and icicle burst up from under the icy sea water. She groaned when the ice missed it's mark, and desperately began trying to rub the string against it, eventually fraying it enough to break her wrist free.

She sighed, but gasped quietly when she noticed the water up to the middle of her chest, now.

Directing her now free hand towards the other, she took a few seconds to gather herself, before shooting the icicle up, and the point made it's mark, slashing the rope clean in half. The young princess sighed, and she waved her hands in the air above her head triumphantly, before crying out in shock as the water around her rapidly began to freeze.

Quickly, she pulled her hands back to her chest, trying to stop the ice from spreading, but it was too late; the ice was too thick, and surrounded Mia's body completely, trapping her in the sinking ship.

She cried out in fear, as the ice continued to thicken around her, trapping her. She wiggled her feet in the freezing sea water, still a liquid under the ice, and more tears began to leak out of the side of her eyes.

Desperately, she held out her palms and concentrated on the love that came from her mother, her father, Aunt Elsa and Odd, and squeezed her eyes tightly shut in concentration. Squinting them open again just the slightest, she grinned as a little bit of the ice began to thaw away, slowly but surely. Smiling, she lost focus, then suddenly, the memory of her captor's was forced back into her mind.

She gasped quietly, before focusing on her family's love, but what was done was done, and no matter how she tried, she couldn't quite manage to thaw any more ice.

She watched as the few crew members still on the ship jumped into a small wooden lifeboat dangling from the side of the ship, and began to lower themselves down. The princess gasped, as a thought occurred to her - she'd been forbidden to ever use her powers of controlling people, unless it was an absolute emergency. This was an emergency, right?

Focusing, she made a few snowflakes, and tried to direct them towards the crew members, but she'd never anticipated that the wind would counter her powers.

The child let her arms fall limp, as the snowflake blew away on the breeze. Her body was wracked with scared sobs as she waited to solidify in ice.

Either that, or drown.

What had she done to deserve this?

* * *

"Mia!" Anna cried out, as she galloped with Kristoff, on Sven's back, across the slippery, icy terrain. Elsa was skating next to them, keeping up with the reindeer's frantic pace, and Maximus was on her left, not as accustomed to the friction-less matter as Sven was, skidding along more often than he was running.

"The ship doesn't appear to be moving!" Elsa cried out, in reply to her sister's yells, and the Princess looked slightly reassured. Rapunzel, however, had noticed something the others had not.

"What is that?" She queried, as she squinted to get a better view. She gasped in shock. "Oh, my..."

Anna looked terrified, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. Kristoff tightened his grip on her, protectively, drawing her closer.

"What is it, Rapunzel?" He said, slowly, carefully, his voice shaking only the very slightest. Rapunzel shook her head, not wanting to say anything.

Eugene looked over at the Prince, Princess and Queen of Arendelle, his normally cheerful expression grim.

"There's what looks like a massive icicle right through the middle of the boat. It's going to sink."

Anna gasped, and let out a short wail of despair. Kristoff looked stunned for a second, but soon after, an expression of determination replaced the worry.

"Come on, Buddy, faster!" He yelled, as he kicked Sven on and wrapped his arm tightly around Anna, supporting her. Elsa's forehead creased in concentration as she forced herself to go faster, and Maximus neighed loudly as he focused on slipping as little as possible, consequentially going faster.

"Let's go!" Elsa cried, and a look of reckless exhilaration grew upon her face, as the snowy hair flew around her face. Her eyes sparkled with determination.

* * *

Mia paused, as she heard the sound of thudding hoof-beats, and stretched her neck up to get a look, but she was too small, and could not see above the wooden sides of the ship.

A few seconds passed, before the thuds grew steadily louder, and then they stopped suddenly, as a shaggy-coated animal came launching over the side of the sinking, icy ship, followed by a scrambling sound.

Mia's eyes lit up. "'Ysse!" She cried out, and beckoned for the reindeer, who came over and snuggled up to her friend, not aware that the boat was sinking steadily. The scratching stopped as a large, over-grown canine came bounding onto the icy ship also, and then a boy, with black hair and large, blue eyes, and only one arm, came flopping over too.

"Arne!" Mia greeted, relieved, and the boy assessed the situation quickly.

"Mia! You have to thaw the ice!" He shouted, and the Princess looked down, sadly.

"I can't, Arne. It doesn't work." She said, and the boy looked worried. He glanced around, and noticed a large hammer, not too far away. He grinned triumphantly.

Rushing over, he grabbed the tool, and began to make his way back, as a creaking noise began to be heard. He paused, confused, and then suddenly, the ship, frozen, began to crack. Arne began to rush back to join Mia, but he was too slow, and a massive, gaping hole appeared in the middle of the ship, as the wooden floor gave way, and the sides of the ship cracked.

Mia and Arne screamed in sync, as the two halves of the ship began to capsize. The boy, looked around in fear, as he grabbed onto the side to stop himself falling into the sea, and threw the hammer as far as he could. Seier leaped to grab it, before dropping it in Mia's hands.

"Arne!" She cried out, and the boy looked back at her, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Break the ice, Mia!" He yelled back, "I'll be okay! Go to a safe place! Don't worry 'bout me!"

Mia opened her mouth to reply, but then Arne let go, saluting her as he slid down the slippery floor, and, with a splash, fell into the sea below.

The princess screamed for him, and grabbed the hammer, banging at the ice she'd made desperately, as Lysse and Seier began to struggle to remain on the slowly capsizing ship.

It only took a few moments, and one well-aimed blow, to smash the ice, and Mia scrambled to the edge carefully, but Arne was no where in sight. She slipped a little, and Alyssa grabbed her dress, pulling her back up, with some difficulty, but the cracked ice had more friction than when it was smooth.

Mia wailed for her friend, as she climbed onto her reindeer' snack and held on tightly as Lysse jumped, trying to get over the side. The ship was at too much of an angle now, though, and as the reindeer landed, she lost all grip on the ice and went hurtling down the slope, falling off the end and into the sea.

Seier yelped, as he slid down and launched into the waters below following them, just as the ship creaked, splashing down in the water and sinking, trapping Mia, Seier and Lysse under it's wooden body.

Mia screamed, as she took a desperate mouthful of air and went under the water.

* * *

**Yay! The response last chapter was better! Well done guys; keep it up!**

**Now, here's a challenge for you all: in the reviews, leave an event you want to happen, and I will choose at least one to come true later on! Don't miss out on this chance to have your say! Yay!**

**Please keep on reviewing,**

**-SG**


	12. Chapter 12 - dedicated to blackknght

_**"Arne!" Mia greeted, relieved, and the boy assessed the situation quickly.**_

_**"Mia! You have to thaw the ice!" He shouted, and the Princess looked down, sadly.**_

_**"I can't, Arne. It doesn't work." She said, and the boy looked worried. He glanced around, and noticed a large hammer, not too far away. He grinned triumphantly.**_

_**Rushing over, he grabbed the tool, and began to make his way back, as a creaking noise began to be heard. He paused, confused, and then suddenly, the ship, frozen, began to crack. Arne began to rush back to join Mia, but he was too slow, and a massive, gaping hole appeared in the middle of the ship, as the wooden floor gave way, and the sides of the ship cracked.**_

_**Mia and Arne screamed in sync, as the two halves of the ship began to capsize. The boy, looked around in fear, as he grabbed onto the side to stop himself falling into the sea, and threw the hammer as far as he could. Seier leaped to grab it, before dropping it in Mia's hands.**_

_**"Arne!" She cried out, and the boy looked back at her, tears streaming down her cheeks.**_

_**"Break the ice, Mia!" He yelled back, "I'll be okay! Go to a safe place! Don't worry 'bout me!"**_

_**Mia opened her mouth to reply, but then Arne let go, saluting her as he slid down the slippery floor, and, with a splash, fell into the sea below.**_

_**The princess screamed for him, and grabbed the hammer, banging at the ice she'd made desperately, as Lysse and Seier began to struggle to remain on the slowly capsizing ship.**_

_**It only took a few moments, and one well-aimed blow, to smash the ice, and Mia scrambled to the edge carefully, but Arne was no where in sight. She slipped a little, and Alyssa grabbed her dress, pulling her back up, with some difficulty, but the cracked ice had more friction than when it was smooth.**_

_**Mia wailed for her friend, as she climbed onto her reindeer' snack and held on tightly as Lysse jumped, trying to get over the side. The ship was at too much of an angle now, though, and as the reindeer landed, she lost all grip on the ice and went hurtling down the slope, falling off the end and into the sea.**_

_**Seier yelped, as he slid down and launched into the waters below following them, just as the ship creaked, splashing down in the water and sinking, trapping Mia, Seier and Lysse under it's wooden body.**_

_**Mia screamed, as she took a desperate mouthful of air and went under the water.**_

* * *

They were close, so close, when the sound of a young child's screams reached the ears of every member of the group, a loud, ear piercing cry that made the hearts of each person drop like a stone, leaving just an empty, hollow space in it's place.

"_Mia_..." Anna whispered, her voice, already weak from fear, barely audible, even to Kristoff, who was sat just behind her. A sob wracked her body, as Sven galloped harder, more determined.

Elsa squinted at the massive ship, and noticed something odd; the strange angle at which the craft was laying in the water, and gasped quietly to herself when her brain processed the issue.

"Oh my gosh..."

* * *

Mia's little arms thrashed wildly, as instinct told her to try and resurface, but it was no use - she had never learnt to swim, and one could not pick up the skill in one day.

Lysse was kicking, too, but in a much calmer manner, doggy paddling to get out from under the sinking boat. Her strikes were weak, for she could not breath, but the little doe was stubborn, determined to get to safety.

Mia moaned in the back of her throat, as her body, desperate for air, began to convulse, trying to force her to take a breath, but the princess refused - she knew if she did, all she'd swallow would be water, and she'd drown. Holding tightly to Lysse, she placed a hand over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut tighter, as she began to feel dizzy. Involuntarily, she groaned a little, her lips parting slightly, and a trickle of salty water trickled into her mouth. She quickly shut her mouth and swallowed the water, cringing at the unpleasant taste that made her throat feel as if it were on fire.

Squinting her eyes open, ignoring the stinging pain that came from the salty water, Mia could see the blue sky up above and weakly patted Lysse's shoulder, encouraging the doe on, who was now kicking with all her strength, but not progressing very quickly, and then her legs slowly began to still, as she ran out of oxygen.

Mia felt a pang of fear in her chest as she and Lysse began to slowly sink, and the last thing she remembered was hearing an echoing splash and seeing a grey blur in front of her eyes, as they began to drop further and further from the surface.

* * *

Sven bleated as he reached the edge of the ice, panting tiredly, as Anna and Kristoff virtually dived off of his back, rushing to look into the water.

Anna sobbed sadly. "Kristoff! Kris, oh, where is she!" She moaned, as she searched the salty water again for any sign of life. There was clearly no sign of her on the now sunken ship, meaning she was somewhere under the water.

Elsa gasped as she slid to a stop on the ice, as she, too, looked around, searching for Mia, but to no avail.

"Oh, Anna..." She said, as small tears escaped her eyes. "I can't see her..."

Anna scowled, as she pushed away from Kristoff. "She's okay!" She shouted, determined that her daughter was still alive, and before anyone could stop her, she dove into the water, spluttering slightly and shivering from the icy sea. Hurriedly, she began to swim forward, trying not to splash around too much so that she caused too many ripples to see under the water, in case she could see Mia.

"Anna!" Kristoff yelled, as he dove in after her, shivering also, and Elsa screamed as her sister swam out to sea.

Anna splashed around wildly as her husband wrapped his strong arms around her waist, trying to pull her back to land. "Come on, Anna!" He said, trying to resist the Princess' resistance.

"No, Kristoff!" She cried out, kicking him in the groin, and he released her as he groaned. She quickly began to swim away, towards the ship, and it took all of her will power to keep going, as her limbs began to feel heavy and slow, the cold water rapidly effecting her for the worst.

She reached out with her arms to keep herself going, but she could not get her limbs to work, as she lost feeling in them, and she struggled to continue kicking, as she flailed around, trying to stay afloat, her movements getting quickly weaker.

Kristoff gasped, as did Elsa, and the pair quickly swam over to the Princess. The cold water did not affect the Queen, luckily, but the Prince was another matter, as he felt his own limbs begin to go numb, and he had to fight to keep his movements quick, so that he'd stay warmer, and would not falter and sink, as he noticed with a start, that Anna was beginning to go down under the water.

He gasped again, and he and Elsa moved faster, trying to reach the Princess. He wrapped his strong arms around his wife's small, freezing cold body, and began to pull her back to the ice, which Elsa hastily expanded to make the man's job easier.

Reaching the frozen ledge, Kristoff felt his arms begin to stop working, and he quickly threw Anna up onto the ice, as his movements stopped, and he gasped as him leaden, numb arms refused to work, and his legs stopped responding too. He tried to grab hold of the ice, but he couldn't seem to work his fingers, and he took a deep gasp of air as his head slipped under the water.

* * *

_Oh, god,_ Kristoff thought, as he felt his body sliding under the water. He writhed his body, the only movements he could manage, as his freezing body finally shut down, his quest to save Anna complete, and his eyes slid shut, as he slipped out of the conscious world.

* * *

"Kristoff!" Elsa yelled, and Sven bleated loudly, as he rushed to the water's edge and plunged his head under, yanking it back up with Kristoff's royal jacket caught on his antlers.

Snorting as he fought to keep his grip on the slippery ice, he closed his eyes and dragged his friend onto the ground, and Elsa gasped at the sight of Kristoff. Anna also let out a small, weak, quiet breath, as she opened her eyes slightly, shivering and only just conscious. She was confused, and slightly delusional, not able to make sense of everything, but she knew that her husband was seriously sick.

Rapunzel rushed over to Kristoff quickly, as she began to wrap her hair around his freezing cold body. Elsa went over to her sister, and sat down beside her, gently squeezing her hand for reassurance. The princess quietly muttered, "_Mia_...", as she shivered again, and the Queen looked down at her with large, sympathetic eyes. There was nothing they could do for her now.

Eugene came over to the two sisters, as he pulled off his cloak and draped it over the smaller girl's back. The thin material was not designed to keep out freezing cold, but it might help her, at least a little.

Elsa glanced towards Kristoff, as Rapunzel finished her song and her hair stopped glowing. She looked down, to see if her magic had worked, and gasped when she noticed the man's skin was still blue, and he was still unconscious.

"Oh, my..." She gasped, as she looked apologetically to the others. "Ever since I regained my powers, they've never been quite the same. They are a bit... unpredictable sometimes, and not as strong. Kristoff's really sick; my magic can't help him."

Elsa's eyes widened, as she stood up, helping a weak Anna to stand as well. The princess stood on wobbly, unstable legs, but she was upright all the same, and she managed to get herself onto Elsa's horse, with her sister supporting her from behind.

Sven bent down to pick up Kristoff in his antlers, and quickly, before Rapunzel and Eugene even got onto Maximus' back, he'd set off at a gallop towards the castle.

Anna's eyes fluttered slightly, as she forced them to stay open. She knew, deep down, that Mia was gone, but she couldn't quite comprehend the facts. Her brain had begun to shut itself down as she began to freeze in the sea water, and was incapable of comprehending things.

She slowly glanced out to the sea, and knew her daughter was somewhere out there.

_Please be okay..._

* * *

**Oh, dear... Will Kristoff, Mia and Anna be okay? Dun dun dun!**

**Once again, I've got a lot less reviews on this chapter than normal. There's ****becoming a pattern here, one chapter I'll get a normal amount of reviews, and the next, I get half of what I normally do. **

**Please, please, please review! I didn't get many last chapter, so I didn't have much 'get-up-and-go' to write this chapter. Please review - it'll help me update sooner!**

**-SG**


	13. Chapter 13 - dedicated to AFoolishFool

Seier panted as he kicked his paws quickly through the water, the reindeer and small child laid upon his back like a useless sack of potatoes. He struggled to keep them in position, having to dive down rapidly every time the two unconscious beings submerged under the water again.

Scraping his claws along the ice, trying to get a grip on the slippery surface, he growled quietly and heaved his body up, quickly grabbing Mia and Lysse before they fell back under the water and dragging them up, his claws digging great holes in the floor as he did so. Sinking to the ice after, he lay down before his two rescued friends. His large eyes glinted in the light as he watched over them, a self-appointed guard.

Seier remained faithfully at their side, very tempted to find Anna whom he saw as his only mother. Still, he knew where his place was and that was here, with the youngest Princess and her funny little pet reindeer.

The sun passed across the sky slowly and the blue eventually began to fade to a deep red and, finally, blackness. The wolf didn't understand why his mother hadn't come to find Mia yet but still he didn't move, not leaving the girl's side. Eventually her eyes opened and she coughed and spluttered as she awoke. The blue orbs were wide as her breathing hitched; Seier nuzzled up to the girl's side to comfort her, wrapping his body around her smaller one.

After a few minutes the wolf stood back up, his teeth pulling up the fabric of the child's dress with him. Mia stood slowly as she was dragged to her feet with weak, shaking legs and she had to lean on Seier for support, as Lysse slowly stood up too, helping her friend make her way across the ice.

"Thank, you, boy..." Mia said gently, her voice weak, and she smiled at him through the dark of the night. In response, however, the wolf simply growled, his hackles raised, and he spun around to face the sea again. Mia turned around too, but her human eyes, nose and ears were all weak compared to that of Seier and all she could pick out was the distinctive aroma of Lysse, and the splashing of the waves.

"What is it, Seier?" she asked and turned her head to look at the animal who stared back at her then yelped loudly, falling to the ground with a loud thud, and Mia cried out. Despite the fact that her ears were not finely attuned, the heavy beats of a man's running footsteps could now easily be heard.

Mia gasped as she spun around and a large pair of rough hands clamped around her mouth. She squirmed, writhing, terrified, and another man lifted her easily off the ground. Her short, thrashing legs made no contact, and even when she heard Lysse's distinctive 'battle cry' there came no rescue, was no escaping her captors. The reindeer was thrown aside with an easy kick and lay on the ice, unconscious for the second time that day.

"Help!" The child yelled against the hands, but her voice was muffled and there was no one near to hear her. The men tightened their grip on her, and, terrified, she was thrown onto a small craft—a lifeboat, perhaps—completely trapped.

She moaned and wailed as she felt a gag forced roughly into her small mouth, her hands tied behind her back and incapable of lending her any degree of control of her her powers. And, as the tears would not stop coming, she felt the boat riding the waves as it rowed away, leaving home far behind in the distance.

* * *

**Just a short little filler chapter. Short, but necessary. At any rate, this chapter's out a day after the last one, so you can't be too picky ;)**

**Please, tell me your comments. What do you think happened?**

**You know I love reviews; don't deprive me!**

**Don't forget, the best reviewer gets the chapter ****_dedicated_**** to them! Yay!**

**-SG**


	14. Chapter 14 - dedicated to KLime (guest)

**_Mia gasped as she spun around, and a large pair of rough hands clamped around her mouth. She wriggled, writhing, terrified, and another man lifted her easily off the ground. Her short, thrashing legs made no contact, and even when she heard Lysse's distinctive 'battle cry', there came no rescue, was no escaping her captors. The reindeer was thrown aside with an easy kick, and lay on the ice, unconscious for the second time that day._**

**_"Help!" She yelled against the hands, but her voice was muffled, and there was no one near to hear her. The men tightened their grip on her, and, terrified, she was thrown onto a boat - a small lifeboat, she guessed, - completely trapped._**

**_She cried as she felt a gag forced roughly into her small mouth, and the tears would not stop going, as she felt the boat riding the waves, as it rowed away, leaving home far behind in the distance, like a memory._**

* * *

Anna's head jerked up quickly as she heard the distinctive, tell-tale creaking which indicated that the door was being opened and her fingers curled into the fabric of her duvet, anxious, hungry for information. She could feel the mattress of the bed sagging as Kristoff, who had gotten over his case of hypothermia just the day before, with help from Rapunzel, came to consciousness beside her, just as eager and desperate as she, and his eyes were virtually pleading the maid for good news.

Heidi stopped slowly beside the door, hiding partially behind the mahogany so that only half of her body could be seen, as she peeked around to look at the couple. She hung her head, shaking it slowly, and Anna let out a sob as her eyes dropped to stare at the ground, her plaited pigtails dangling in the air. Kristoff, too, was distraught as he wrapped his arms around his wife and pulled her closer.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, Sir. The soldiers have searched all over the kingdom for Mia; they've looked through every single forest in which she could have reached, but… No luck. I can hold my breath for two minutes and I've searched the sea bed, as far as I can go, but there is still no sign of her." She took a deep breath as she carefully wiped a tear from her eye. The fifteen year old girl looked so solemn, so mature, and the grief shone in her eyes just as much as it did in Anna's, Kristoff's and Elsa's. No doubt, she was remembering her own child.

Anna took a shaky breath, as she clutched Kristoff's arm to support herself. "Are you sure there's nowhere else to look?"

Heidi shook her head, and a small lock of hair fell out from her bun. "Not that I know of, Ma'am." she said in response. "The navy are searching the seas for her, trying to see if she's been captured again before she drowned, or maybe she was taken off of the boat with the sailors when it sunk. Still... It may be a while yet before we hear back. They have a big area to cover."

Anna hung her head and Kristoff sighed, fighting the tears. Mia hardly ever cried—to him, it felt like showing her respect, by following in her example. Even if he should be setting the example for her.

Heidi watched the distraught couple for a few more awkward, silent seconds, and sighed. "If you'd like, Ma'am, Sir, I can search the forest once more? Perhaps I might have a little more luck?"

Anna and Kristoff didn't look reassured, but the princess smiled a weak, wobbly smile all the same.

"Thank you, Heidi." she said, "I'd appreciate that."

The maid curtsied, and then silently left the room, leaving the two mourning, terrified parents in their reflective, concerned solitude again.

Anna's eyes slowly trailed the walls, until they came to a rest at the windows, where a gentle layer of frost was forming, slowly, crystal by crystal. A fresh round of tears threatened to fall, and she closed her eyes, her body heaving.

_I know you're out there, Mia... Just let me find you._

She squinted her eyes open again, and a single snowflake blew upwards on the wind. It was a large snowflake, and Anna instantly recognised it as Elsa's.

_Please?_

* * *

"Please... stop..." Elsa whispered, as gentle snowflakes continued to fall around the room. Things were not nearly as bad as they had been in the past, but now she was terrified and unable to control her powers properly—weak, in other words. A particularly large snowflake drifted out of the window, flying around in the breeze outside, before it blew out of sight.

Elsa couldn't help it as she remembered Mia's capture, two weeks ago now, and a sob wracked her body as she wrapped her arms around her stomach, trying to comfort herself.

Eventually, the tears stopped—though the grief was ever powerful—and the woman ran her hands over her hair gently, stretching them behind her as she began to make her way to the door. The handle froze over with ice instantly but she tried to ignore it, to block it out.

_Conceal, don't feel._ The thought rose up out of instinct, but the phrase only made anger bubble up in her chest rather than sorrow and did nothing to thaw the slight blue ice clinging desperately on the ceiling, nor did it warm the room which had decreased in temperature significantly.

After what seemed like years, the Queen found who she was looking for - Kai - and went nervously over to him, coughing slightly to get his attention. The man startled for a second, but he quickly got over the initial shock.

"Has there been any news on the whereabouts of Princess Mia?" Elsa asked, cautiously, but she didn't need to wait for Kai's response for his features quite clearly read, 'No'. She moaned, muttering, "Thanks anyway," and then quickly ran past him, sobbing again and leaving the man in a state of near-confusion at what had happened.

Soon, there were no tears left for Elsa to cry. With her body heaving with dry sobs as she progressed through the corridors, she eventually found herself out in the castle courtyard where the wind was blowing slightly and her dress blew about a little in the breeze.

The sky was dark with clouds and it was clear there would be a storm soon; the woman immediately turned to return inside, never having been able to tolerate them, especially after her winter, five years ago. However, part of her almost relished in the idea of torturing herself by staying out; punishment for her inability to protect her poor niece. She was Anna's older sister—she should have been responsible for both of them. She should have ordered more guards to stay with them, she should have—

Elsa's musings were distracted as she noticed something glinting in the cold sunlight and she spun to see Odd, dressed in his royal uniform, the light bouncing off of his single medal which hung proudly on his chest. He was walking out of the stables with Brandy Shot, his dun-coloured stallion, in tow, and looked momentarily shocked when he saw Elsa standing, staring at him. He then began to hurry away, not meeting her gaze. The queen only glared after him as she stormed over, her eyes freely displaying her anger.

"Where are you going!" she snapped, crossing her arms, and Odd tried not to sigh in annoyance.

"Elsa..." he began, but he silenced himself when his wife held up her hand, her posture telling Odd that she wasn't in the mood for arguing.

"Odd, it's not safe. I've already asked you not to go. You can't just go... running out there. Someone might be waiting for you, and I've already lost Mia this week; I don't want to lose you too! "

Odd frowned. "I'm a grown man, Elsa." he said, a trace of annoyance creeping into his voice. "I can make my own decisions, and I can look after myself. You forget that I have done since I was eleven."

Elsa sighed. "I know, Odd." she said, her tone a little softer, but then she felt the anger bubble up again and she almost cried out in frustration as her emotions went haywire. Her voice was sharp as she snapped back, "But why do you _need_ to go out there, anyway!"

Odd clenched his fists at the Queen, scowling. "Elsa, I've been trapped in the castle for weeks, and I just need to get out. It's my job, for a start, remember? The one you assigned me?"

"One I can take away just as easily!"

Odd huffed. "Look, Elsa. Just because you're being paranoid, doesn't mean that I have to remain cooped up in the castle forever. I can't stay trapped, I need to be free." His eyes dropped to the floor sadly. "I thought you, of all people, would understand that."

Elsa felt a low growl emerge in the back of her throat. "This is pathetic, Odd! Just because you can't get your own way..."

"_My_ own way!" Odd interrupted, "You're the one complaining that I won't do _exactly_ what you want me to do!"

"Just because _you_ can't get _your_ own way," she repeated hotly, "doesn't mean that you have to run off and have a tantrum! There's plenty to do here; I don't see why you need to go to the forests just for the sake of it."

"Is that so!" Odd yelled, "Well, I think you need to stop thinking about yourself all of the time!" He raised the pitch of his voice, so that his words were a mock imitation of Elsa's. "_I don't want to lose you too, Odd!"_ he yelled, and glared as he jumped onto Brandy's back, fuming. "Maybe, stop thinking about what you want all the time, and perhaps you could just _consider _how crazy it makes me to be cooped up!"

Elsa's eyes widened, then they thinned again as she felt a new wave of anger pour over her. "If that's what you think, then _fine_!" she snapped, "Go off and be an idiot! After all, I shouldn't stop you just because I care about you and don't want you getting hurt. So, go! Go away, and have a nice time in the forests, as you risk your life and my sanity! I'll be fine!"

Odd huffed. "Fine, then!" he yelled back, "Have a nice afternoon, and don't miss me too much - if this is how it's going to be, then I'm not sure I really want to come back!"

Turning Brandy Shot around, Odd kicked his stallion on as Elsa spun and stormed angrily back into the castle, running through the corridors, fuelled by her anger, until she reached her and Odd's bedroom and collapsed on the bed, her emotions switching from rage to regret in an instant. She clutched the sheets in her hands tightly as she cried into the duvet, eventually falling asleep, exhausted and heart broken.

* * *

Odd sighed with relief as he galloped through the forests, feeling free and happy. In his heart, the unease from his fight with Elsa was still present but the exhilaration he felt completely overruled it. He whooped with glee as he jumped over a fallen log, and, feeling Brandy's heavy breathing decided to rest for a while. Sitting down next to the stallion, he watched as a fox dragged a mouse into the bushes and he felt a little for the creature; it was almost definitely doomed.

After a few minutes, he stood back up and got back onto his horse's back. Despite his anger at Elsa, he couldn't stay out here forever - his old home had begun to fall down, and he had no shelter from the wind that was beginning to swirl around him. He kicked Brandy into a gallop and began to head back to the kingdom.

* * *

The crack of a whip sliced through the still, silent air of the cave, closely followed by the terrified, agonised cries of a young child.

Mia lay, sobbing loudly, on the cold, sharp, stony floor as the belt cracked on her side again and she screamed at the fresh new pain. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks as she curled into a ball instinctively and a man growled as he came up behind her.

The young princess whimpered in between her sobs as she heard the loud footsteps coming in her direction and sharp cry escaped her cracked lips as she felt a sharp boot connecting with her side. Her attacker then huffed and kicked her once again for good measure before turning and leaving the cave room, slamming a wooden door.

Curled up in a ball and moaning on the rocky ground, Mia hid her head between her knees and winced at the pain in her side. Shifting so that she was sprawled out a little flatter, she tried to make an icy light with her magic although she was not at all surprised when she failed, the gloves stopping her from using the powers properly. The material reached all of the way up her arms and were tied together tightly behind her neck so that it was difficult to move her arms, and impossible to undo herself.

She knew that gloves had always concealed most of her aunt's powers, but her magic was steadily getting stronger; though she could not use her powers properly, she could at least succeed in making the gloves glow.

With difficulty, Mia raised her arms as high above her head as she could and then, straining her neck and moaning in the process, she tried to look at her injuries. She winced when she saw the dark purple bruises, and sobbed as a fresh wave of pain wracked her body. Looking closer, she noticed blood trickling down her side from the center of the purple stain on her normally pale skin, and she lay her forehead on the ground as more sobs escaped her, her body a quivering mess from fear; not just of the attacks, but of the very sight of the blood itself.

The pain was overwhelming, but over the last fortnight, she'd grown used to the constant distress. She didn't know what she'd done to get herself punished like this, but she did know that she couldn't take much more of it.

Crying herself to sleep, she managed to catch a few hours of fitful rest, plagued with nightmares and fears, and she woke up shaking each time.

_"_Help, Mama, Papa..._" s_he whispered every time she awoke, quietly. "I sorry. Please, come get me. I did wrong. I sorry..."

She'd been saying the same thing repetitively over the duration of her confinement. The only thing that had changed was that she was beginning to believe her own words, beginning to believe her parents were punishing her for something she'd done wrong. Pain had been her life, and it had begun to control all reasonable thoughts in her brain, had changed memories to feed it's dastardly purpose; to make the child suffer.

_What did I do? _She sobbed as she fell back to sleep, only to be woken in fifteen minutes to the sharp snap of a whip on fresh skin.

"I sorry..."


	15. Chapter 15 - dedicated to Spring Summer

**_"Help, Mama, Papa..." she whispered every time she awoke, quietly. "I sorry. Please, come get me. I did wrong. I sorry..."_**

**_She'd been saying the same thing repetitively over the duration of her confinement. The only thing that had changed was that she was beginning to believe her own words, beginning to believe her parents were punishing her for something she'd done wrong. Pain had been her life, and it had begun to control all reasonable thoughts in her brain, had changed memories to feed it's dastardly purpose; to make the child suffer._**

**_What did I do? She sobbed as she fell back to sleep, only to be woken in fifteen minutes to the sharp snap of a whip on fresh skin._**

**_"I sorry..."_**

* * *

Elsa awoke with a start as her grandfather clock chimed, her heart dropping from her chest as she realised that Odd was still not back. Though she would not admit it, still fuming over his selfishness—though she could, to be honest, appreciate his hatred of remaining cooped up—she had secretly hoped that he would have returned during the night and that when she awoke, he would be laying next to her in bed.

Clearly, such was not the case; the space to her left remained cold and unoccupied.

She sighed as she rose from the bed slowly and trudged over to the intricately adorned vanity, braiding her hair quietly in its usual style with little effort or enthusiasm. Her mind was occupied by other, more pressing matters—Odd's disappearance, and Mia's capture, namely.

Finishing the messy fixing up of her hair, she remained still for a moment as her eyes trailed across the walls of her room, coming to a rest at the window as she took notice of the blue, near cloudless sky. Such a sight should have been happy, uplifting even, but for Elsa it only served as a tantalising reminder of her sorrows; wiping the tear from her cheek before it could reach her chin, she stood up shakily and waved a lazy hand so that a dress materialised on her body. It was a simple garment, mostly shapeless and plain, with the only interesting feature being a modest V-neck.

With a downcast expression, she stood up again and made her way over to her mirror, glancing at herself with a slightly disgusted frown, her appearance not overly tidy—but she had not the motivation to change anything. Then turning to her side, she focused on her stomach and ran her hand tentatively over it, frowning as she noticed the way the small curve was beginning to become quite noticeable. With a sigh, she waved her hand once and loosened the dress so that it was slightly more flowing, concealing the tiny bump that was growing larger with each passing day.

Placing her head in her hands, Elsa moaned as she tried to stop her legs from shaking, having to sit down to prevent herself from falling. She hadn't been expecting this, and certainly wasn't prepared—especially now that Odd had essentially run off, and poor little Mia was missing and, terrifyingly, perhaps even dead.

Oh, God, she thought to herself, her spirits plummeting even more as the room spun a little. I can't even tell Anna. It'd destroy her, what with Mi…

Elsa paused for a moment and then tried to stand up, trying to reclaim some sense of strength, but then immediately collapsing on the floor in a heap, sobbing wildly and rocking back and forth. Thoughts rocketed around wildly in her head and she felt her world crumble beneath her feet, the earth seeming to shake, the walls around her surely falling down and the floor beneath her feet cracking.

A knock sounded on the door and Anna's monotone, quiet voice came floating into the room. Elsa immediately felt herself recoil, shuffling backwards like a small child until she was pressed entirely up against the wall; there was nowhere to run, no way for her to escape.

"Elsa?" Anna's voice was amazingly strong as it sounded, though it was surely put on, forced. "I know you're in there—please come out. Kristoff's gone out to look for Odd, and I'm… I'm lonely."

Elsa sat up, her heart aching, but she made no attempt to push off from the wall, let alone move over to the door.

"Elsa? Please, just let me in..." Anna paused for a moment, waiting for some sort of response, but none came; she whimpered a little and let her head thud gently against the door. "I need you, Elsa. I… I can't deal w-with things on my own… Please…"

Elsa took a deep breath, her heart aching for her sister, and she finally stood up slowly. She carefully made her way over to the door and rested her palm on the handle, feeling it freeze up under her grip.

Come on, Elsa, she thought to herself. It's only Anna. She's your little baby sister, for Christ's sake. She paused, hanging her head. That's the problem. It's Anna.

Taking one final, deep breath, she turned the frosted-over handle and pulled the door open quickly before she could think twice about it, her entire body quivering. Anna stared at her, blinking a few times before her face creased in a frown.

"Elsa? Are you… What's wrong?" She spoke timidly as her gaze lingered over Elsa's red eyes and blotchy cheeks, afraid that she was being too intrusive; in all fairness, Elsa could almost see herself retreating back into her old isolated self. "Have… Have you been crying?"

Elsa tried to smile, pretty certain that she had failed to do so convincingly; Anna's reaction only proved her suspicions.

"Don't try to hide things from me," she said, her voice a whisper. "I'm your sister, I'm not blind. Just talk to me. You know how bad not talking's made things before. You… You can trust me, you know."

Elsa sighed. "I'm fine, Anna. I just don't want to hurt you."

"So, you're evidently not fine," Anna shot back, and Elsa was slightly shocked for a moment at how perceptive her sister was being. She paused, not quite sure what to say, and her sister frowned as she looked over the queen's shoulder and noticed the room behind. "Oh, Elsa..."

Snowflakes hung suspended in midair and every inch of the walls were blue from a thick coating of ice. Elsa quickly noticed what she was looking at and murmured under her breath in fear as she stepped backwards, terrified as her hands buried themselves into her chest.

Anna wasted no time in reacting, recognising that even a second to panic could push her sister over the edge; placing her hand on the older woman's shoulder, she reached behind herself to close the mahogany door. "Come on," she said gently as her hand trailed its way down to her sister's, locking their fingers together as she squeezed gently, reassuringly. "Let's get a hot chocolate, and then we need to talk. Okay?"

Elsa nodded stiffly and let go of her sister's hand at the first possible moment, following her down the corridors—always five steps behind—to one of Anna's favourite rooms: the large, comfortable lounge which, at this time in the morning, was always bright from the sunlight.

"Elsa, please, tell me. What is it?" Anna spoke softly as she sat down on one of the plush sofas. "You know you can tell me anything?"

"You said that already." Elsa's words were mumbled as she shook her head and then glanced down, mumbling under her breath. The princess only frowned, though, not at all discouraged.

"Elsa?" the princess asked once more and her sister looked up anxiously. The queen gently touched her stomach with two fingers, an act which the younger woman seemed to miss.

"It doesn't matter, Anna… It really doesn't matter…" Her words were shaky and whispered. Finally cracking, Anna frowned before glaring at her angrily; Elsa only shrunk back more. "Please... I'll tell you when the time is right. And the time isn't right now."

Anna folded her arms. "You can't keep everything to yourself, Elsa. You don't have to keep your distance-"

"Shut up! Shut up!" The queen's voice suddenly peaked in volume as she yelled, her eyes then widening slightly at the outburst. She shook a little as she blushed red, looking away and trying to lower the power behind her speech, though she only ended up stuttering. "Please, j-just… Just l-leave me be."

The silence that came about as Elsa looked away from her sister could hardly have been any more awkward. Indeed, the queen's hands came to rest in her lap before she stood up slowly, patting down her dress gently.

"Excuse me," she said, her voice quiet now, mouselike. "I need to go to the bathroom."

Anna nodded slightly in a somber mood, upset—and admittedly fuming a little—by the fact that her sister didn't seem to trust her, that she would not reveal her secret, and at her sudden outburst. But then, as she watched Elsa leave the room, the gears in her head began to turn and the puzzle pieces began to finally fit together in her mind.

* * *

After she'd relieved herself—or, perhaps, even before—Elsa was quick to decide that she couldn't return to Anna; not just yet. She couldn't deal with all of her questions, not until Mia had been found—she knew it would only serve to sadden Anna to know the truth, although it was obvious that it wouldn't be long until she couldn't hide it anyway.

Taking a detour, Elsa made her way out to the the stables sluggishly, finding favourite gelding waiting patiently in his stall.

"Hey, boy," she greeted gently as she stroked his nose softly, murmuring to him quietly. Retrieving her saddle, she quickly tacked him up—to wait for a servant would take even longer—before leading him outside and climbing up onto his back, sitting side-saddle.

"Let's go, Flyer," she said, patting the bay's neck as she gently tapped his flank with her whip and tapped his side with her heel, encouraging him into a trot. High Flyer had a beautiful, smooth, flowing gait meaning that, even sat as she was, the horse's movements were not too bouncy to be uncomfortable.

She knew she was being hypocritical as she headed off towards the forests, but she needed to try and help Kristoff find Odd. He deserved to know the truth, after all, and she needed to tell someone to get it off of her shoulders.

She'd had suspicions for a while now, of course, but she could hardly doubt it now. And while she could see Odd being a little upset—perhaps even angry, for all she knew—she also knew that he would at least react better than her sister would.

She took a deep breath as she came to the end of the deserted village streets; people were still scared from the attack a week previously, and mostly tried to stay inside if they could afford to. She hesitated for a moment, and then kicked High Flyer on into a canter once she'd shortened her reins to give him a moment's warning.

"Come on, boy," she said, scratching behind his ears. "Let's find Odd and then we can go home. And you can have a big bucket of oats, hmm?"

* * *

"They captured the young princess, you say?" Hans said, his forehead furrowed, and Alec nodded with a grim expression. The younger, however, seemed unaffected as he grinned. "How convenient. And I am right in the fact that the girl has the same powers as her aunt, am I not?"

Alec nodded again. "You are indeed, Hans." He paused, scratching his chin slowly. "I'm not sure how true they are, but I've also heard rumours that she may have other powers, too."

This new information seemed to interest Hans as he looked up a little, his green eyes shining. "That's good to hear," he said, reaching for his glass of water. Taking a short sip, he then placed it down with a quiet clink, watching the liquid sloshing around, trapped in its container. "The girl could be useful, if only we can convince her to work on our side. The question is... how can you convince a two year old to go against her family?"

Alec paused, but then grinned. Though far less malicious than his brother, he was also a long shot from an angel. "The report from the soldiers mentioned that they've been beating the girl. It makes her too weak to use her powers against them; that's key, 'cause supposedly she's very powerful. They don't want to risk placing gloves on her incase they don't control her magic entirely—they say such was the case with her aunt. It only made her even more unpredictable. So they need to keep her weakened just in case she has sense enough to fight back."

Hans looked slightly annoyed as his brother rambled on. "What are you getting at already, Brother?" he hissed, not quite snapping though the disdain rung clear in his voice as he scowled. He didn't have time to waste on waffling.

"Hey! Calm down!" Alec snapped back, hotly, his face a little flushed as he tried to restrain himself. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly before carrying on. "Supposedly, some of the guards overheard the child muttering to herself. It sounds like she's confused. She thinks she's being punished for something by her parents, but she doesn't know what she's done wrong."

Hans' grin only widened as he began to fiddle a little with a button on his shirt. "Perfect. Send an order back to the men who are keeping her and tell them to keep doing exactly what they are now, but don't hurt her too much—we need her alive, but we also need her submissive for my… idea concerning her to work out. Make sure to remind them that the kid's only two—it won't take much to break her in, so to speak, but there will be a very fine line between doing so, and pushing her over the edge." Hans paused, his cold eyes resting on his brother's and making Alec wince as a shiver ran down his spine. "That is essential. If it goes wrong, it'll be up to you to find a way to make up for it."

Alec cringed at the deeper meaning of those words; if Mia was damaged beyond repair, he would be the one who would have to pay the price. Somehow.

He nodded to his brother before leaving the room. Though he was older than Hans, the latter was ridiculously brilliant when it came to controlling people. Indeed, Alec knew he was nothing more the youngest prince's representative, but though he was the one with freedom, not confined to a single room as Hans was, he was still trapped. He couldn't do anything wrong—after all, even locked up as he was, the youngest prince had unbelievable power and Alec was simply a tool. He was disposable, in his brother's eyes, and even if he was acting as if he was the one with the great plan for revenge, it was always Hans who held the keys for change; he was deceptive but brilliant in that sense. It wouldn't take much for him to find a new puppet, and when he did, his brother would be thrown away.

Alec knew what that meant; death.

He swallowed as he rushed off to write the letter to send to the soldiers. He couldn't afford to get it wrong, that was for sure.

* * *

"Odd!" Elsa yelled, her voice barely sounding over the strong wind that was blowing that morning. She slowed her gelding down as he began to skip about and hurry a little faster, cantering too quickly for comfort, and she scanned the forest for any sign of movement. "Odd! I'm sorry! Please, come back!" Still, there was no sign of him anywhere, and a small sob escaped her lips. "I need you…"

She slowed High Flyer down again to a trot as she splashed through the cold water of a river, the droplets flying against her skin and refreshing her a little, but her heart was heavy as she searched. With every passing minute, her hope was abandoning her; the task seemed impossible.

As she passed a large, half-decayed tree, High Flyer began to snort nervously, tossing his head up and down as he trotted a little more bouncily, his tail clamped. Elsa patted his neck before hopping off quickly, completely bemused as to what was wrong.

"Hey, hey," she said, soothingly. "What is it, boy?"

The horse snorted as he looked towards the tree, walking backwards a few steps with wide eyes; Elsa sighed and stroked his nose softly, murmuring quietly and trying to calm him. Soon realising he wasn't going to be quite at ease, though, she walked around the great trunk, puzzled and holding tightly onto his reins so that he wouldn't run away. Nevertheless she, too, drew back a little and gasped when she saw a massive hole in the base of the tree; it wasn't the hole she was reacting to, however, but rather the small, one-armed child laying in it, seemingly asleep. It didn't take Elsa long to notice the pale colour of his skin.

"Oh, my..." She remained frozen for a minute, the shock rendering her incapable of moving, and then she quickly grabbed the little boy. Lifting him up, she showed him to High Flyer quickly so as to reassure him that the child was not a danger and then she climbed back onto his back, turning back to Arendelle and kicking him on.

Elsa knew she could not let the boy die. He was icy cold, and she had no doubt that the cold November weather had chilled him to the bone. He was thin, too, and he'd clearly not eaten in a long time.

Though she was still desperate to find Odd, she knew she had to help Arne first. He'd die if she didn't, and Mia would have no one else to play with. He was the only boy she'd ever really liked; the others were all scared off by her status.

Thus, despite the screaming of her heart to keep searching, she kept on back to the kingdom; she couldn't live with herself if she let either child—Mia or Arne—get hurt.

* * *

**Right, first, to answer a couple of guest reviews:**

**unicorns: I'm fourteen, although I'll be fifteen in two weeks.**

**: Thanks for the review, it made me happy to read. And of course you can use the idea of them being cousins, and Rapunzel regaining her powers.**

**Now, about the chapter. I was actually writing this while watching the Badminton Horse Trials (I have horses myself, so it's nice to watch for me, and it inspires me to try out more stuff when I do go riding). Funnily enough, I actually got quite a lot of my inspiration for this chapter from watching it, as well as an idea for later on in the story, or for another book in the 'mini-series', as it seems to be, now.**

**What do you guys think? I'm not sure where we are with this story yet, probably about 1/2 way or so now, but would you like a sequel when it's finished, or would that be dragging it out too long?**

**I still didn't get many reviews last chapter, so hopefully this chapter will be different. I managed to write it in just two days, so hopefully I'll be able to update the next chapter sooner!**


	16. Chapter 16 - dedicated to blackknght

**_"Oh, my..." She breathed, and she quickly grabbed the boy, showing him to Vin quickly so as to reassure him that the child was not a danger, and then she climbed back on, turning back to Arendelle and kicking Vin on._**

**_Whether it was her motherly instincts kicking in, or simply the fact that the child was so small and helpless, Elsa knew she could not let the boy die. He was icy cold, and the Queen had no doubt that the cold November weather had chilled the boy to the bone. He was thin, too, and he'd clearly not eaten in a long time._**

**_Though she was still desperate to find Odd, she knew she had to help Arne first. He'd die if she didn't._**

**_And she'd never be able to live with herself if that happened._**

* * *

"How is he?" Anna spoke quietly as she looked over at Arne, the boy looking ever so weak laying in one of the spare beds of the small infirmary. He was much too tiny for the furniture; it almost looked like he'd soon sink into the mattress and disappear forever.

"The doctor said he will be okay, but he's so thin. I don't think he's eaten in a few days; he should be in an orphanage, but I suppose none would have taken him, what with his arm and all. We need to try and get him to eat something, but obviously that won't be easy when he's unconscious. Ida is going to bring up a hot bowl of soup which he should swallow by reflex, hopefully, but he needs something more filling really. Soup is, after all, quite watery, so it won't really make him put on any weight. Still, I think it's the best we can do until he wakes up."

Anna considered this. "In theory, if we feed him a lot of soup, it should help, right?" Elsa shook her head.

"We can't even give him very much. He can't have eaten in quite a while, at least a day or two, meaning that his stomach will have shrunk and he won't be able to actually eat a lot. If we feed him too much, that'll be just as bad."

Anna sighed. "I hope he gets well soon. It makes me sad to see him like this—it's wrong that the orphanages just turn him away because he's... Well, deformed."

"Me too," Elsa agreed with a glum expression, turning around to give the boy some privacy while he recovered.

"Elsa?" Following her sister out of the room, Anna spoke quietly. "You don't suppose that Arne might know anything about what happened to Mia, do you?"

Elsa looked unsure. "I don't know, Anna. I don't know if he was there and I don't really see how he could know anything if he wasn't; why should he really know anything more than us?" Anna looked down at the ground as her shoulders fell; Elsa felt a pang of sorrow flow through her veins at her sister's depressed demeanour. "Hey, hey! That doesn't mean he definitely doesn't know anything!" She reassured. "Just... please don't get your hopes up too high. Rather, don't get them up at all. I'd hate to see you getting hurt."

Anna shook her head. "I've already lost one of the most important people in my life. I'm already broken; I don't think a little more pain will affect me all that much."

"Oh, Anna..." Elsa spoke with a sigh as she pulled her sister into a hug, her arms wrapping around the ginger's neck. Anna closed her eyes and simply collapsed into the embrace before stiffening barely a moment later and drawing back.

"Elsa..." she said and gently placed her hand on her sister's stomach. Hey eyes were wide and shining and—Elsa realised with a pang of guilt—shone with the slightest hint of jealousy. Knowing immediately where this was going, the queen hastily took a step back, trying to loosen her dress but to no avail; the damage was done.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" Anna said in a shaky, quiet voice; Elsa's eyes darted everywhere, coming to land on every part of the room—except for on her sister's eyes. Of course, her silence was enough of an answer for the princess.

"Anna-" Elsa tried, but the girl had already turned away; she did not reply, but her older sister could plainly hear her small, quiet sobs.

"Excuse me." Anna was incredibly stiff as she whispered her response and then suddenly ran off in the opposite direction, her shoulders hunched; Elsa was left stood dumbfounded and she buried her head in her hands, groaning. She wanted to run after her younger sister so desperately, wanted to try and offer her some sort of comfort, but really, how could she; she, herself, was the reason Anna was so distressed after all.

Why was everything so confusing?

* * *

"Perfect." An old woman's sharp voice cracked through the air, slicing it like a whip. "Except for one thing..." She paused for a moment and walked over to the man. "The scars." Her voice now quiet, had a darker, somehow more intimidating quality.

The man hissed as the woman slashed the knife down the side of his face, across his eye, down to the corner of his mouth. He steeled himself as she struck again, and he made no sound as the blade sliced cleanly through his flesh. He clenched his fists for the last attack, and tightened his lips and eyes as he felt the thick, hot red blood flow into the corner of them.

"There," the woman said and the man glared at her with his slightly dull green eyes, his now-messy brown hair falling partially over his face and covering some of the new wounds. "You know what has to be done. Go."

The man was stunned for a moment but then nodded, gasping and groaning at the throbbing pain in his face. "Certainly," he snarled back though the injury made it hard to speak. His words had a rather jagged, unclean quality to them.

The man stood up shakily and left, his teeth completely gritted, and he raised his hand up to his face, drawing it back to see nothing but pure crimson red.

* * *

By the time night had fallen, the temperature outside had dropped below zero. The odd icicle hung suspended from roofs and window ledges; Elsa could only be relieved that she'd found Arne when she had. No doubt he'd have succumbed in the unbearable November air during the night otherwise.

Sullenly, Elsa stared out of the window of her chamber, gently rubbing her very slight baby-bump—horrid thing that it was—as she looked out towards the forest. She needed Odd back, and her sister needed Kristoff to return even more.

She could do with any support she could get.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Elsa noticed the slightest of movements; glancing downwards she gasped as she saw two figures racing through the village, taking just a second to decide whether it was the pair she had been pining for and then smiled with relief, wasting not a single second before rushing to her sister's room.

"Anna!" She cried out as loud as she could, but there was no reply; honestly, she knew she had been foolish to hope for one. "Anna... Please, I know you're upset, but... Kristoff and Odd are coming back!"

There was a slight, pregnant pause, the only sound being the slight wind outside the walls of the castle, and Elsa sighed.

"Kristoff will be sad if you aren't there to meet him."

A slight shuffling sounded from just beyond the door and Elsa waited for a few seconds, folding her hands in front of her.

"I'll be down in a few minutes," came Anna's quiet reply and Elsa, originally perking up at the sound of her sister's voice, sighed audibly and turned, heading down to the entrance hall; whether her sister could find the motivation to join her or not, she had to meet up with her husband. She needed his support almost as much as her sister needed Kristoff's.

* * *

The man groaned to himself slightly as he cantered along on Brandy Shot's back, trying to ignore the throbbing pain of his cheek.

"I bet that twinges a bit, Odd." Kristoff said with a small grin as he looked over the man's wounds, now beginning to stop bleeding at long last; his companion only hissed as he struggled to hold back a growl of annoyance, his eyes narrowed.

"Really? Well aren't you smart!" he snapped, leaving Kristoff shocked for the briefest amount of time. Odd quickly recoiled a little, giving a short laugh as he tried to correct himself. "Sorry. The pain's getting to my head. Ruddy eagle..."

Kristoff didn't look convinced. "Are you sure it was an eagle? I've seen eagle injuries before and normally they're more... rough. That's virtually a straight line."

Odd looked slightly put off at Kristoff's comment and his eyes narrowed even more, though he still nodded anyway. "You think I'd mistake an eagle?" he snapped and then looked away stiffly, entering the castle grounds with a somewhat relieved expression.

Kristoff could only conclude that he was glad to be back at long last.

* * *

"Oh my gosh, you're back!" Elsa cried out as she slammed the doors open and ran out into the courtyard. "I'm so sorry, I—Oh! What... What happened to your face?"

"An eagle slashed him," Kristoff answered, knowing full well that it pained Odd to speak. Elsa gasped at his words and quickly rushed over to help her husband down, shielding him as Brandy Shot snorted, attempting to bite the already injured man.

"The cuts must scare him," Kristoff commented, jumping off of Sven's back and grabbing Brandy, stroking his nose gently and scratching just behind his cheek as a stablehand rushed forwards to help. "He's been acting strangely the whole way back here."

"That's strange..." Elsa said, frowning at the usually—no, mostly—well-behaved stallion. "Well, we'd better get to the doctor, Odd. Those cuts are really deep."

"You don't say," Odd snarled, his eyes thinned, and Elsa frowned at his tone of voice. Shaking off her uncertainty, she then turned to her brother in law and tried to smile. "Oh, Anna's waiting for you inside, Kristoff." Her voice had no tone—completely expressionless; Kristoff only nodded stiffly, galloping off just before Elsa and Odd into the castle.

* * *

**Okay, next chapter done. Sorry this one took longer to post than normal, but thi gas have been a bit he rice for me with my dofe and work experience. **

**I hope you enjoyed it, anyway! Please review, and remember, the best reviewer gets a chapter dedicated to them! I'll also try to mention all reviewers in the next chapter, so it's worth reviewing!**

**See y'all around!**


	17. Chapter 17 - dedicated to A Foolish Fool

_**"The cuts must scare him," Kristoff commented, jumping off of Sven's back and grabbing Brandy, stroking his nose gently and scratching just behind his cheek as a stablehand rushed forwards to help. "He's been acting strangely the whole way back here."**_

_**"That's strange..." Elsa said, frowning at the usually—no, mostly—well-behaved stallion. "Well, we'd better get to the doctor, Odd. Those cuts are really deep."**_

_**"You don't say," Odd snarled, his eyes thinned, and Elsa frowned at his tone of voice. Shaking off her uncertainty, she then turned to her brother in law and tried to smile. "Oh, Anna's waiting for you inside, Kristoff." Her voice had no tone—completely expressionless; Kristoff only nodded stiffly, galloping off just before Elsa and Odd into the castle.**_

* * *

"You say you got these wounds from an eagle?" The doctor's words held a hint of skepticism and Odd nodded, flinching as he applied a little gel—aloe vera—to the deep slashes across his face. "That is peculiar. I'm not an expert on bird anatomy, but I would have imagined that an eagle's talons would have left more... ragged marks if it were attacking quickly. In my experience, these look more like slashes from a sword, or a sharp knife—you are lucky to have gotten off so lightly."

Odd clenched his fists under the table, annoyed, but he kept a straight face as best as he could. His body, though momentarily tensing up as Elsa placed her hand on his thigh gently, soon relaxed and he let out a small breath; she smiled at him with warm eyes as the doctor prepared a needle barely a few metres away, having already pressed an ether-soaked handkerchief to Odd's nose and mouth.

"Now, this is obviously going to hurt, but I dare not give you too much ether—it has been known make people nauseous and to have you vomiting would only be counter-productive. So please try not to flinch too much—at least if you can help it. I need you to keep your face relaxed while I stitch the wound closed, or else it may come undone at some point."

Odd's eyes widened before he gritted his teeth and nodded, closing his eyes gently as the doctor pinched the two loose pieces of skin together. Elsa, feeling the blood drain from her own face at the thought, squeezed his hand tightly as she felt him tense up, the needle piercing his skin and making even more beads of blood form from the hole.

Agonising minutes crawled past as the doctor carefully sewed up the gaping flesh, holding it together to promote its healing, and Elsa stroked her finger gently across the back of Odd's hand without pausing, the soft physical contact reassuring him though he did stiffen at one point.

_Huh. What a weird feeling. _The man winced and tried his best not to bite his tongue as he shook a little; when having one's skin sewn together it was hard not to. _It's kind of nice, I guess._

It felt like it had taken years—though in truth it was only five minutes or so—but, eventually, the doctor ceased the torture as he tied off the last stitches and Odd sighed as the medic placed the sharp metal needle down upon the table. His entire face was now throbbing painfully, and he could feel the droplets of blood trickling down the contours of his face, before they were gently dabbed away by Elsa.

"Now, Odd," the doctor said, his face severe. "I need you to put as little pressure on the stitches as possible, or they will break and your wounds will heal badly. I expect you may have scars later on, but if you are careful, you'll still have complete use of your face. Except, perhaps, your right eye... I'm not sure if you will be able to open it after this ordeal or not. We will have to wait and see."

Odd shrugged, his lips thin. "I'll live," he bit out, eyes flashing. "And I'm not bothered by scars. I've already got them anyway... What's a few more?" His finger gently touched the stitches before his good eye widened. "I mean..."

The doctor quickly held up his hand. "Please, don't talk too much. It may tear out the stitches. I'm sorry—give it a week, and then we'll see how you are. It may be that you can talk a little then, but please try not to do so much in the mean time. You understand, I'm sure, the importance of this."

Odd nodded, his good eye shining with frustration, and he looked down grumpily. Elsa quickly sighed and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Doctor." she said, trying not to wince at her husband's messed up, bloody face. "I'll make sure he's good."

The medic gave a small smile knowingly at Elsa's motherly tone, his eyes slightly less serious as he watched her shepherd her husband out of the room, taking him to the lounge to get comfortable. He then chuckled a little as he began to tidy up the room, glad she had found someone. She couldn't be alone forever.

_She deserves him_, he thought to himself. _But I think she'd be lost without him, too. He's a good man, even if he is underserving of any woman possessing even a fraction of her social standing. But at least he's brave too—though may be bad that Elsa is so close to him; bravery is arrogance, and arrogance hurts. _Turning around, the doctor stared at the door the pair had just left, momentarily wondering for the fate of the kingdom. _Don't hurt her, Odd. She needs someone she can trust right now._

* * *

"Okay... We need to talk." Elsa said, sitting down stiffly on the soft mattress of the shared king sized bed. The man only nodded slowly, gasping a little, and followed her lead; perching down without a fuss, he tentatively touched his new stitches, trying not to wince as he explored the strange, new texture of his face.

"What?" he asked through slightly moving lips; he was cautious not to break the stitches, but he had to speak also. He couldn't go a week or two without doing so.

Elsa sighed, as she ran her hand across her hair, smoothing back the loose locks of her plait. "Well, here's the thing.. Oh, how do I say this..?" She sighed, wishing she'd planned this better or asked Anna how she did it—actually, only the former—and Odd smiled a little at her, although Elsa could see that it was a forced gesture when she looked into his eyes. _He must still be in pain, _She thought silently to herself, _Hopefully the news will take his mind off it._

Trying not to shake, deciding on a simple approach, she looked at Odd with a new found slither of confidence. "Give me your hand," she instructed, her voice mostly steady, and Odd complied, placing his palm in Elsa's own. "Now close your eyes." Once again he obeyed and Elsa froze for just a second before took a breath in, readying herself.

Hovering her hand over Odd's, she closed her eyes also and concentrated on calling up magic—a strangely difficult task when she was so nervous—from her reserves, a small gift forming in her husband's palm.

"Now, open your eyes," she whispered, and Odd did as he was told, frowning at the objects in his palm.

"Two little... What are they? Shoes?" he said, questioningly. "What are these for?" Odd looked back at the little blue boots in his hand, turning the carefully crafted items over in his palm, studying them closely. "Oh, Mia? She, uh, has been found already?"

Elsa frowned slightly at Odd, puzzled by the tone of his voice—the man had always been close to the young princess, but he didn't seem all that excited at the prospect of Mia's retrieval. Still, that obviously wasn't the point of giving Odd the boots.

"No, Odd. They haven't found Mia yet, but we have most of the army out searching for her. Still... Try again."

Odd looked down at the little blue boots, his expression remaining unchanged, and then they slipped from his palm as his eyes widened and he looked at Elsa with a single wide eye.

"Are you... pregnant?" he whispered quietly, his body suddenly unmoving; Elsa nodded slowly, the tone of his voice making her whimper again.

"What... What do you think?" Her words were slow and ever so tiny, shaking a little, and Odd looked at her unsurely for a moment, his eye appearing almost to be annoyed, as if the news had interfered with some sort of plan of his. A few seconds passed, however, and then his face broke out into a fairly big smile and he pulled Elsa into a strong, overly powerful hug.

"I'm going to be a... Well, a dad," he whispered into her ear a little stiffly, the words slurred together slightly from his inability to open his mouth wide enough to speak properly. "We're going to be a proper family."

Elsa smiled as she buried her head in Odd's shoulder, a small tear of relief leaking from her eyes, and he wrapped his muscular arms even tighter her body. He closed his eye, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.

_He seems stronger than usual, _Elsa thought, a small sigh escaping her lips at the comforting warmth. _I suppose he's just happy and __I know he'll make a great __father to our child... _She leaned in a little closer to Odd's chest for security, negative thoughts suddenly beginning to plague her mind; the strength she'd had a month or so before had long since dissipated. _But what about me?_ _I couldn't even protect my niece..._

Slowly, Elsa's eyes slid shut, her breathing slowing, and Odd's hands clasped her shoulders as he stood up slowly, careful to not wake her as he moved. Then laying his sleeping queen down upon the bed, he walked over to the other side of the room with his feet dragging, burying his head in his hands as he groaned, collapsing into the chair.

For the rest of the evening, neither person moved in the room.

* * *

Mia squeezed her eyes shut tightly as she inched across the cold stone floor, sluggishly hauling herself towards the wooden door which separated her from the rest of the world.

Though she could not count, she knew she'd been trapped here for a long while now, though she had no means of knowing the exact length of her punishment. In truth, she had been locked up for just under a month now but to her, it felt like an entire lifetime of pain.

Yelping as her bruised knee came to rest upon a sharp rock, she continued on as the tears leaked from her eyes, dribbling down her cheeks and mixing with the blood, a slim stream of sorrow.

Looking up sharply with terrified eyes, Mia gasped as the door handle began to creak open, taunting. The pain suddenly overwhelmed by pure terror, she quickly scrambled back to her original position and shoved her hands back in the chains, making it appear as if she'd never gotten away from the restraints.

She'd learned to do that after the beating which had come the last time she'd tried to escape.

"Hello, Child."

A guard, an averagely bulky man with the face of the devil, spat out his words at her as he set two metal bog-style bowls down on the cold, hard floor, just a few metres ahead of her. Mia could feel her mouth watering at the prospect of a meal, and drink as well. "Food. Water. I bet you're getting desperate now, huh?" He snarled as he walked over and tied a dog collar around her neck, fittingly, so that she could not escape.

Pulling off the hand restraints—he didn't notice that they were looser than normal in the dim light—though with the gloves still tightly tied on, he grinned. "Go ahead," he said, nodding to the bowls. Mia was stunned for a moment before she frowned at him, suspicious; in the end, the need to eat and drink overtook her and she began to crawl unsteadily towards the precious dishes waiting, teasingly, before her.

Caught up in her excitement, the sharp boot which connected with her side came as a massive surprise and she was sent hurtling to the floor. Though she had only been crawling before, too weak to do much else, she hit the ground with a loud thud, her increasingly brittle, calcium deprived bones shuddering from the impact, and she cried out in pain, her scream high pitched, capable of slicing through the hearts of any person capable of compassion.

Laying on the ground, Mia opened her tear filled blue eyes shakily and watched the man before her terrified as he circled her like a hawk, waiting for her next move, ready to strike when she did.

The princess was but two years old; she didn't know why the man had knocked her over. Had she done something wrong? Had she moved too quickly, had she been too eager for something so essential? Were her actions too primitive for a princess maybe? Was that why she was here—had she been too un-princessy?

Her body shuddered again as the pain rose up in a wave once more though no more attacks had been made as of yet; with tears that could not be brought forth she weakly began to inch towards the bowls again, her heart set on the food before her. The pangs from her stomach drove her forward, the dry, cracked skin of her lips forcing her to keep moving.

Another scream cut through the still, cold air inside her cave prison, as she felt the familiar but wholly unwelcome sensation of a whip—a riding crop, thankfully not a driving one any longer—slashed across the skin of her back protected only by her thin dress. The deep purple stain spread quickly across her soft back like a swarm of angry ants, burning and never stopping.

The whip slashed through the air just above her back and Mia yelped in fear as she bolted forwards and tripped, her nose crashing against the ground and causing her to cry out once again in pain, though thankfully only a little blood fell. The man before her, though, only grunted a little and frowned as he bent down and held the whip against her back—though he did not attack.

She turned her head to look at the guard, her once-bright eyes pleading with him through the darkness, but the Guard just snarled and pushed her away from him once again; Mia could only be thankful that he was she had been treated to the nicest of the men today. Nonetheless she still buried her head under her hands as she tried so hard to hide away from the world, waiting patiently for the next blow.

After a few moments of relief, Mia sneaked a quick glance at the man who, by now, had packed away his whip; a small sigh of relief escaped her cracked lips. She could feel the blood from her nose dribbling into her mouth and she knew she looked terrible; just thinking of the pain made it all the worse.

"Food. Water. I bet you're desperate now, huh?" The man repeated his own words before turning away and walking to the door, maybe ten metres away. Unlike some of the guards, he at least didn't seem to take any pleasure in the torture—but he was sickeningly calm about it as well. "_Go ahead._"

The words were a challenge and Mia knew it; the man was daring her to try again, but she had no wish to be beaten. So there she just lay, murmuring and whimpering in a heap, not responding. The man only huffed a little and then frowned, shrugging; he left the room, slamming the door with such force that small pebbles fell from the damp, algae-covered ceiling of the cave.

Slowly, Mia's eyes trailed to the two bowls. Heaving herself the few metres to the nourishment, she greedily dipped her head right in the water, taking massive gulps of the liquid, making herself choke as she did. The water was old and completely covered by a thin film; the blood flowing from her nose had stained it pink. But in the end, despite its repugnance, it was truly amazing, surely the sweetest thing she'd tasted in days.

Licking the bowl dry, Mia gasped for air as she coughed up a little water that had gone down the wrong way in her haste and then quickly turned to the other bowl. There was a lot less in the second dish, just a few spoonfuls of plain, boiled beans, completely tasteless of flavour, and as the princess shovelled them into her mouth all moisture was stolen by the dry, powdery food. Either way the girl, usually used to having only the very best, did not mutter a single complaint; she hungrily shovelled down every last bit of her almost pointless meal with her hands. She choked a few times in her alacrity but she was not deterred, moaning when it was all gone.

It almost seemed like a good day. She had food, water, and even went six whole hours without being attacked; it was amazing.

* * *

**I'm so sorry it took me so long to post this chapter - I had work experience last week and then my Duke of Edinburgh expedition at the weekend, so I've been pretty busy. Hopefully I'll be able to get back on track soon!**

**Anyway, please review! I love getting reviews, and I'll be happy to return reviews if you ask! **

**-SG**


	18. Chapter 18 - dedicated to TailsDoll13

_**Licking the bowl dry, Mia gasped for air as she coughed up a little water that had gone down the wrong way in her haste and then quickly turned to the other bowl. There was a lot less in the second dish, just a few spoonfuls of plain, boiled beans, completely tasteless of flavour, and as the princess shovelled them into her mouth all moisture was stolen by the dry, powdery food. Either way the girl, usually used to having only the very best, did not mutter a single complaint; she hungrily shovelled down every last bit of her almost pointless meal with her hands. She choked a few times in her alacrity but she was not deterred, moaning when it was all gone.**_  
_**It almost seemed like a good day. She had food, water, and even went six whole hours without being attacked; it was amazing.**_

* * *

"I won't lie, I wasn't expecting this news so quickly... Eventually, yes, but it comes as quite a shock." Hans' voice was cold and sharp, his eyes equally so. He was now sat in a large, plush sofa of one of the smaller living rooms in the castle; it had taken Alec many hours of negotiations to get permission to converse with Hans outside of the prison cells. In the end, though, his father had agreed, accepting that Hans was still a master tactician—though he did not know the extent of the prince's new lack of sanity. "Indeed, it throws off some of the gears of our plans. I'm afraid that this development may mean we have to hurry things along."

Alec frowned, folding his arms and gently rubbing a faded purple bruise on his arm. "I don't see how Queen Elsa's pregnancy affects the plans so much," he said, leaning against the painted wall of the lounge. "Would you care to enlighten me?"

The younger prince rolled his eyes. "I would have thought it would have been obvious, Brother," he teased with a smirk though there was no happiness or light-hearted tones in his voice.

"If the Queen is pregnant, then it will be—or at least it could potentially be—harder to get her to go and help her cousin, Queen Rapunzel, in Corona, when we launch our attack on them. I'm certain she'd want to try and protect her family. However if she emis/em with child then there will be a limit as to what she can do, not to mention her brat of a sister would definitely have a few things to say. She's very protective of the queen; in Elsa's condition, she will be even more so. And then there's the new prince, Odd, too. He would never let her leave if she was too close to having her baby."

Alec seemed to understand where Hans was coming from, as he nodded his comprehension.

"Oh. In that case, I suppose we will have to try and speed things up. It will be a risk, but it's one we have to take."

Hans grinned as he stood up. "So, what are you going to tell our brothers and father?" he asked, making Alec pause for a second, considering his answer; he was not keen on giving a wrong response.

"I'll tell them..." He took a deep breath, not quite at ease. "I'll tell them we need to attack Corona now."

"Hans smiled, triumphantly. "And..."

Alec seemed to almost sigh with relief, finally having some good news. "And it's also time we rescue the princess." He turned to leave, a great beam plastered upon his face, but Hans coughed a couple of times and snarled.

"What other news is there for me, Alec?" he demanded, his tone steely, and the said Prince seemed to almost shrink under his brother's coldness. Years in prison had surely destroyed the younger's slim slither of compassion. "You mentioned that there was something new earlier."

"Oh, yes, of course. There is a woman who would like to speak with you, Brother." he said, making Hans raised his eyebrows.

"What purpose would she serve coming here, to see me? Why can't you deal with her yourself; I have better things to do than entertain some girl." His voice was snappish as he crossed his arms.

"I believe she is interested in... joining our cause." Alec said, cautiously. He never knew how to tread with his brother, other than slowly. "If I am not mistaken, I think she is under the impression that she would be useful to us."

Hans looked skeptical, his eyebrow raised and his mouth held in a scowl, but he nodded anyway; his brother left hurriedly to get the woman in question. The remaining prince then sat and kept still, feeling a little awkward in his seat by the fireplace—what a nice feeling it was, to be warm—until the older man returned to the room with a young blonde in two. Alec quickly hurried back out, leaving the two in the room together.

"I'm waiting." Hans snapped, after just a few seconds of silence, and the woman glared at him, frustrated. "What's your pitch."

Her cold blue eyes glinted in the fire light, giving them an eerie reflection, and her blonde hair seemed to almost glow in the flickering light of the flames. "I am Ayla," she said simply. "I am interested in the events of recent concerning your family and the kingdom of Arendelle. I know what you are planning."

Hans snarled. "Did my brother tell you this information?" he growled, reminding himself to get someone to beat up the traitor late on, but the woman only laughed.

"No," she said, "but I have my sources. Anyway, I am looking to join one side of the battle. The question is, which side will have me?"

"And what makes you so special?" Hans glared at her, frustrated that such a simple woman was wasting his precious planning time. She only grinned wider, looking to her left and nodding slightly as if someone were there.

"You may have heard of my brother, Karleif. He was one of the sorcerers who tried to kill Queen Elsa and her family." This news sparked some interest in Hans, and he sat up a little straighter. "I was never included in the plans, my mother never trusted me. Hated me, even—it's cliché really. But I did manage to sneak some magic of my own." She twiddled her fingers as she continued. "I have great power myself, for unlike my mother and brother I know how to wield it properly. And I'm more compatible for powers as well. However, and I'm sure you can relate, I'm not content with being a nobody. I need more magic to become a somebody, and that magic I can get from Queen Elsa's family. Then, you need them dead to gain control of their kingdom. Either way, we want the same fate for them, and we both want power. I'd say we're rather similar." She grinned a little more and her eyes narrowed. "Of course, if you reject me then I'll just have to kill you, and then head on to the Arrendellian royals and take them for myself."

Hans frowned slightly. "How can I trust your claims are true? How do I know you won't turn on me? If—and I am expecting some confirmation—you have magic already, then it is quite possible that you would be a spy."

Ayla smiled, her white teeth flashing brightly. "You are already a prince of royal blood, yet you still want to be king. I have magic, but I want more as well. I'd say our situations are rather similar."

Hans looked vaguely interested at this and his glare contorted into a ghost of a smile. "In that case, what are the extent of your abilities? When you say magic, what do you mean, exactly?"

Ayla smiled, and Hans yelped quietly in shock as the arms of the arm chair he was sat on immediately began to writhe and then move, little finger-like extensions growing off of it, morphing into material snakes which bound tightly around his body, choking him of air as his eyes bulged. He gasped a little, struggling, before the binds fell limp and retracted back into the couch. Ayla simply stood there, a smug look on her face.

"It's—It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Hans said, grinning as he rubbed his red, slightly tender neck. Ayla gave a short laugh as she nodded, looking truly gorgeous as she smiled so gleefully.

"The pleasure's all mine."

* * *

_**Okay, so this one was short, but it was necessary. I'm looking to post the next chapter in two days, but if I don't get the normal amount of reviews or more then I'll probably push it back.**_

_**Well, I got multiple reviews saying I was great at writing horror / torture / etc. Oh, God - I'm worrying myself now!**_

_**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I've been in quite a positive mood all today (it's my fifteenth birthday, yay) so it was easier to write this, and I couldn't resist adding Ayla into it.**_

_**So, please leave a review, and if you have your own frozen stories which you'd like me to review, just ask!**_

_**-SG**_


	19. Chapter 19 - dedicated to Crona4

_**Ayla smiled, and Hans yelped quietly in shock as the arms of the arm chair he was sat on immediately began to writhe and then move, little finger-like extensions growing off of it, morphing into material snakes which bound tightly around his body, choking him of air as his eyes bulged. He gasped a little, struggling, before the binds fell limp and retracted back into the couch. Ayla simply stood there, a smug look on her face.**_

_**"It's—It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Hans said, grinning as he rubbed his red, slightly tender neck. Ayla gave a short laugh as she nodded, looking truly gorgeous as she smiled so gleefully.**_

_**"The pleasure's all mine."**_

* * *

A pair of large, bright green eyes glinted in the cold blackness, shining with malice and a sick, dastardly pleasure as the sharp sound of a sword being unsheathed from it's holster echoed around the dark cave of nothingness. The silver sliced through the scene, a blur as it fell, and the bright white of teeth could just be made out through the shadows.

Mia gasped as she jumped awake, sweating despite the chilly, still air inside the cave, and she sobbed as she frantically heaved air into her lungs, each breath stinging her bruised body and she only cried more. The bright, green eyes in her dream had been so real, the emotion in them so convincing, that she had truly been terrified of what the man had been planning to do.

Eventually, the erratic beatings calmed and despite the pain that wracked her body with each breath, she quickly fell back to sleep. She'd been living in constant pain for a month now, and though the scars of the beatings still stung, she'd grown so used to much more intense misery that the torturous aching was almost a relief.

The door creaked and Mia screamed as she saw the shape of a man come into the dim light, anticipating yet more beating. She quickly tried to scurry back against the wall, as far away from the man as possible, and she held her breath, hoping desperately that she would blend into the wall, invisible.

Sadly, her powers weren't quite so willing to hide, and the gloves, glued to the skin of her wrist, began to glow as her magic started acting up.

"Shush..." the man whispered, reaching forwards again. "Be quiet, it's okay. I'm here to rescue you. I promise I wont hurt you."

Mia whimpered as the man drew closer, cowering backwards and shrinking up into a ball, but she let out a breath when the man simply bent down and undid her handcuffs. Taking her gloved hand, he then gripped it firmly and brushed a lock of slightly bloody hair from her face, bending down to pick her up. The warmth of his skin was comforting, even if the cold did not bother her.

But something still seemed off about him; whining a little still, she pushed herself away, untrusting.

The man bent down and slowly, as one would move with a small animal, pulled out a knife, making the poor girl whimper in fear. She tried to jerk back her hand, shaking visibly, but she began to feel the strangest feeling as he only sawed at the fabric of her glove; an almost forgotten wave of confidence which she'd not felt for weeks overwhelmed her.

Looking down at her hand, she smiled slightly as she flexed her finally exposed fingers and felt the soft skin, unscathed from the torture she'd been through.

The man chuckled as the girl made a few snowflakes, happily, but then he hushed her, reminding the girl that they needed to be quiet. Mia nodded, and, making sure to walk a few safe metres away from the man, she followed him to the door.

"Come on, Hans." A man's voice rung out in the room and Mia, justifiably jumpy as she was, screamed in shock, spinning in the direction the noise had come from as a massive icicle shot forth from the ground. There came a load groan, shaky and alarmed, then a thud as the body crashed to the floor. A few seconds of silence passed and then, with another scream, Mia could feel something hot and sticky wrapping around her toes.

She gasped and jerked her head down, an ice light forming at the top of the cave. She screamed even louder and crawled backwards, her head spinning as she watched a pool of thick blood spreading the metres between the girl and the injured man who was now sat quietly on the floor, the icicle impaled directly through his body.

"Brother!" The uninjured man's voice rung loud in the room and he leapt forwards, rushing over to the man, but Alec's eyes had already began to flutter weakly. He groaned, as he struggled feebly and the blood poured from his wound unstoppably until finally his body convulsed once, twice, three times, and then, after a harrowing wait, he stilled at long last.

Mia's breathing, having barely recovered from her shock at waking, leapt to action, her heart thudding expeditiously and she rushed backwards, terrified out of her wits as the ice spread across the floor rapidly, so much that even the man—was his name Hans?—gasped, too. Quickly, he grabbed her wrist, running as fast as he could as he pulled her to the door.

"Hurry, dear princess," he whispered urgently. "We must get out before they catch us!"

Mia whimpered, crying as the man dragged her along, forcing her to run on her painful, beaten legs, and he quickly noticed his mistake, picking up the child as he ran through the corridors of the cave. The princess cried, scared of the close physical contact, and she tried to squirm away, but Hans held tight to her, not willing to let her get away.

"You'll have to close your eyes and hold your breath, little one." he instructed, the commanding tone of his voice scaring Mia even more as Hans began to descend down the slope, slipping as the floor grew wetter and wetter. All the while the princess screamed, ever so alarmed, and Hans snarled as he felt his shoulders freezing up; still he kept going.

Mia squinted her eyes open after a while, her body still squirming wildly to get away from the man holding onto her ever so tightly, and she quickly noted that the water was now rising up, and the lower half of Hans' body was submerged. She screamed again as she felt the icy liquid nipping her toes, the memory of drowning overwhelming her again as the prince suddenly yelled, "Make a ball of air around your head with your magic!" and then dove under. She gasped quickly to get a breath as she obliged, squeezing her eyes and holding her breath until she could keep it no longer, taking another desperate gasp of the limited air in her space. Trying to take another breath, she was then horrified to find that she could not; feeling her ice disintegrating, she felt her lungs suddenly burning as she writhed, desperate for air instead of the water which surrounded her.

Spluttering, she continued to moan all of the time that she felt Hans swimming smoothly through the water, gasping with relief as she felt him launch her into a small, wooden rowing boat. There a guard was seated, holding the oars with white knuckles. He frowned as Hans climbed in too.

"_Den knægt dræbte min bror med en af hendes istapper. Alligevel er vi nødt til at gå. Hun har skreg og græd, og jeg frygter, vi kan blive opdaget, hvis vi ikke forlade hurtigt._" Hans said, speaking in his natural tongue, Danish, and the guard nodded, quickly beginning to row south-bound. Mia, whimpering all the while, scuttled away to the rear of the boat, shaking in fear as she then drew her legs up to her chest. Eventually, though, her own fear won out as she found the courage to speak.

"Where we going?" she whispered quietly, refusing to make eye contact with Hans as she said it, her voice scratchy from screaming, crying, and otherwise lack of use. Stiffening at the unexpected noise, the prince remained silent for a moment before he relaxed, grinning, quickly regaining his composure. "We are going to my home," he said, his voice silky smooth. "We are saving you from your parents. They sent you to that horrid place—we don't want to see you hurt. They are cruel people."

Mia whimpered, her face frowning very slightly as if unsure whether or not to believe this strange man, but she held her tongue all the same and said not a word. Had she had been older, she may have considered how the men knew of her location and what was happening to her, but she was much too young to even think about it. Nevertheless, she tried her best to weigh up both sides in her mind; her mother, father, aunt and uncle all seemed so kind, seemed to love her so very dearly. But then, if what Hans said was true, they were cold-hearted and completely cruel. Whatever she'd done wrong—something she still could not work out—surely did not deserve the harsh punishment she'd received.

She closed her eyes to protect them from the spray of the sea, curling up in a ball and relishing in the feel of the sun on her red, raw skin, enjoying the freedom. And though her mind was in overdrive, she fell asleep.

For the first time in forever, she didn't have a nightmare.

* * *

"I can't believe we still haven't found her..." Anna whispered quietly, her eyes shimmering. "It's been ages now and yet she's still missing..."

Elsa wrapped her arms around her little sister gently, trying her best to comfort her whilst being careful not to let Anna come into contact with her own curved stomach—the princess had apologised for the way she'd acted by now, not that Elsa blamed her, but it obviously still reminded her of her own loss. Elsa couldn't stand to make her feel any worse than she did already.

Anna wiped her eyes gently. "She's only two, Elsa... She should be here, at home, with us. It's her birthday, after all... And I can't believe we're all missing it..."

"Oh, Anna..." Elsa whispered quietly, a small tear escaping her own eyes. "It'll be okay. There's still a lot of land for us to search, so there's still a great chance that we'll be able to find her. She's too valuable a hostage to hurt—she'll still be alive."

Anna smiled weakly. "I hope so," she whispered, gripping tightly onto her sister for comfort as the door slammed open with a bang. Kristoff stood in the doorway, his breathing heavy as he looked at Anna with massive great eyes, as if she'd be able to understand what he was saying from the glances he was giving her.

She couldn't.

"What is it, Kris?" she all but yelled, her hopes immediately soaring at her husband's face, relishing in the fact that perhaps, just possibly, they could have found Mia. Elsa, also, looked up quickly, her eyes shining with foolish desire.

"They haven't found Mia yet," Kristoff said, between gasps for air, and both women's hearts fell rapidly, like stones, plummeting deep below water to the bottom of the sea. "But Arne's woken up and they think he knows what happened to her!"

Anna and Elsa looked at each other quickly, both blinking thrice stunned before they leaping up and rushing out of the door, dragging Kristoff along as they went. Seier, who had been laying at the end of he sofa, quickly bounded after them also, ecstatically following his people to the room in which Arne was resting.

* * *

Anna barged into the room with such force that the very floor could almost be felt to shudder; Arne jumped in surprise, weakly and not quite awake—but getting there. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up straighter, watching the two adults before him quietly with interest.

Before Anna could begin tormenting the poor boy with all of her desperate questions, Elsa walked briskly over and perched down on the bed next to him. She smiled at her sister as she flicked her wrist a little, warning her to back off though her eyes were slightly serious, warning the younger girl not to be too hasty or rash.

"Hello, Arne," she greeted softly, her gentleness urging the boy to smile at her. He still seemed a little wary of the princess, her boisterous entrance to the room confusing him, especially considering that he was still not quite with it. Every colour was too bright, every sound too loud, every smell too strong and every thing too strange. "How are you?"

"Umm..." Arne seemed at a loss for words, his mouth seemed almost out of sync with his words. "I'm okay..." he slurred out, blinking a few times as a sudden wave of dizziness came over him. Groaning, he then lay down immediately, groaning. Elsa sighed slightly, standing and shrugging as she glanced at Anna, her expression crestfallen.

"We can't ask him anything, yet, Anna." she whispered as the boy drifted off, his light snoring filling the room. "He's too tired, and we can't trust that he'd actually answer correctly. He seems quite confused still and I think we need to give him some time to rest."

Kristoff plodded over slowly, pulling his wife backwards gently as she stared eagerly at the sleeping child, desperate for information about her daughter. Then turning her around with difficulty—she seemed to have developed a desire to bore into the boy's soul with her gaze to get the information she wanted—he began to drag her—quite literally—back to the door.

"Anna, come on," he said, straining to move against the princess' desire-fueled, desperate struggles. "Elsa's right. We can't ask Arne any questions as he is now. He needs to rest."

Elsa sighed as she watched her sister be pulled from the room, giving an apologetic smile as she froze the bottoms of her shoes to give her less fight. And, though she didn't once stop fighting, she eventually came to accept her fate enough so that if one were to look into her eyes, the battle between the desire to rush back and the knowledge that she shouldn't was evident in the bright blue. The war between her brain and her heart, what was right and what was wrong, even continued throughout the day. Even as she wrestled an angry Seier off of Odd, who was in the middle of being ripped to shreds by the normally-docile wolf, her heart was only half in the task, the other remaining in the room with Arne.

He was the only lead she had to her daughter. And for that, she needed to see him so very, very badly.

* * *

**Ta daa, next chapter is here! How did I do? **

**This one's a bit longer than the last few chapters, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. I hadn't originally meant for the part with Mia to last so long, but I just kept rambling on in the end! xD**

**I was quite relieved when I got Hans to rescue Mia, I must admit. I didn't want the plot to be resolved too quickly, but she's like a little baby sister to me now (I'd say daughter, but personally, I think I'm quite a bit too young for that. Still, each to their own, so if you don't agree, I'm not hating on you).**

**Anyway, please review. The more reviews I get, the quicker I write, and the quicker I write, the quicker you get new chapters! Whoop! The action will be coming up soon, so don't fret! (Just leave a review, 'kay?)**

**Haha, have a great day,**

**-SG**


	20. Chapter 20 - dedicated to KLime (guest)

_**Kristoff came over slowly, and picked Anna up, who was eagerly looking at the sleeping child, desperate for information about her daughter.**_

_**"Anna, come on." The man said, as he began to walk towards the door. "Elsa's right. We can't ask Arne any questions as he is now. He needs to rest."**_

_**Anna sighed as she was carried out of the room, and if one was to look into her eyes, the battle between the desire to rush back, and the knowledge that she shouldn't, was evident in the bright blue.**_

_**The war between her brain and her heart, what is right and what is wrong, continued throughout the day. Even as she wrestled an angry Seier off Odd, who was in the middle of being ripped to shreds by the normally-docile wolf, her heart was only half in the task, the other remaining in the room with Arne.**_

_**He was the only lead she had to her daughter. And for that, she needed to see him so very, very badly.**_

* * *

Seier snarled in the back of his throat as Odd slunk over to the table and sat down, eyeing the large canine warily as he buttered his toast. Elsa giggled at him slightly, sipping her steaming mug of tea.

"What have you done to get Seier so worked up this morning, Odd?" she asked with an amused grin, helping herself to a mouthful of sugary-sweet honey porridge, moaning quietly in pleasure at the fragrant taste. Odd frowned before shrugging.

"I don't know. He seems to really hate me."

"He liked you a few days ago," Elsa teased, watching Odd stiffen as she put down her spoon, calling over one of the maids with a sheepish smile. "Uh, excuse me? Would it be so much trouble to fetch me some cheese biscuits?"

The maid laughed a little. "Are you sure, your Majesty? It's only eight in the morning."

Elsa blushed as she nodded, shrugging. "Please. I haven't had them in so long!"

The maid nodded with a short giggle, curtsying before she quickly rushed from the room to oblige her Queen's request. Odd chuckled at the scene and slouched backwards in his chair, taking a bite of his toast and chewing a few times before swallowing, coughing slightly as it caught part way.

"Oh, Odd-" Elsa began, standing up to rush around the table to his side, but she froze when the door slammed open. A guard, whose face was pale and eyes terrifyingly wide, stood in the doorway, his face looking panicked with hunched shoulders.

"Whatever is the problem?" Elsa demanded, her fingers tremblings before she occupied them with a loose lock of hair, fiddling with it distractedly.

"There has been a terrible event, your Majesty, in the Western forest..." The guard trailed off and quietened, his hands clenching as he looked at Odd momentarily, jerking his gaze away within a second. "One of the castle maids has, we believe, been murdered."

Elsa gasped, recoiling before she noticed the way the man was looking at her husband. She stifled a whimper and, trying not to sound too weak—and failing astoundingly—she asked, "Why ever were there maids out there? D-Do you know which girl this was?" She looked to the side slightly, not wanting to meet the guard's gaze, not wanting her hypotheses to be true.

"We couldn't tell," the guard said, looking down at the ground. "The body was much too mangled to be distinguished, but she wore the uniform."

Elsa stilled slightly, her heart raising slightly; though it made her feel terrible—guilty, even—she felt a small amount of hope bubble up in her stomach. No doubt the relief was beginning to show on her face—but strangely, when she looked at Odd there was not a single emotion showing through. She could only imagine how hard trying being strong like this—perhaps for her sake—would be for him at the news. "However, there are only a few women who have even left the castle recently, the others all present for the evening meal—and I'm sure you know who I'm talking about. Please, don't make me say it."

Elsa's eyes widened and her mouth opened in a thin line. "No..." she whispered, always having been fond of the girl—and she was, quite literally now, her sister. "No!" Her voice peaked in volume as her body trembled, making the Guard looked a little scared as he backed away from the scene, stepping further away from the door; Odd turned to look at her immediately and walked over, pulling her into a stiff embrace. Elsa sobbed quietly, burying her face in his chest, and he patted her back, softly.

"You don't know who he is talking about, do you, Odd?" she whispered, nodding shakily to the Guard by way of dismissing him, leaving the two to have some privacy. Odd pushed Elsa away slightly, his eyes duller than they had ever been before; Elsa couldn't help but feel that he, similarly to her, was just as worried about the truth. "He's talking about Heidi." Still there was no reaction, and by the way Odd was holding himself stiffly, Elsa figured that her words were not sinking in, were not going to his head—no wonder, for it was a massive revelation. "Your sister," she repeated and, as the words settled in they finally seemed to finally make an impression; Odd almost immediately let go of his wife, crumpling to the floor and moaning as he buried his head in his hands.

Elsa stood still for a few moments, placing a hand on her tiny stomach gently before kneeling down, resting her palm on Odd's shoulder and squeezing it, tears streaming down her face. Then wrapping her arms around his chest tightly, she buried her face into his hair and wept, her sorrow leaving his head nearly soaked.

"We w-will not let this go u-unpunished, Odd." she whispered eventually, her voice still muffled, and the man looked up slowly. Wiping a hand over his eyes and leaving them dry, he looked ever so upset as he stood stiffly and pulled her up with him, nodding slowly. "I promise, we'll g-get revenge."

* * *

"We are so sorry, Princess Anna." the young guard said, looking nervous to have such a task. "My team looked where Arne said he saw young Princess Mia being taken—annoyingly, in the direction of the eastern hills where there are known to be a few submerged caves—but, I'm afraid, she was not there..." He paused slightly, trying to decide how to continue most delicately. "We do have evidence that she may have been there though, so we shall continue the search. We expect that she was simply moved to another, safer location, and we shall be monitoring the nearby areas most vigilantly."

Anna moaned and buried her head in Kristoff's chest, all of her hopes having been set upon finding her young daughter in the place which Arne had suggested. Kristoff, however, frowned, as he looked at the Guard with a creased forehead, his eyes concerned.

"What _sort_ of evidence?" he urged, worriedly, talong hold of Anna's hand, for both his and her comfort, as she looked up shakily.

"Well, there was ice, and..." the Guard began, and then faltered in his words, his eyes grave.

"And?" Anna whispered, just loud enough so that she could be heard, and her voice was so weak that it sounded as if she were the one captured. She instantaneously squeezed Kristoff's hand tighter, clinging on to him as if for dear life.

"And there were also traces of..." He took a deep breath and Anna whimpered as Kristoff tensed up beside her, dreading—but knowing without a doubt—what was coming next. "Blood."

* * *

A small pop sounded in the still air and, in the dim light of the chilly December morning, two people appeared out of nowhere, shivering profoundly.

"The weather is much warmer in the Southern Isles," Hans snarled, pulling his cloak around his body tighter. "How about taking those magic hands of yours and making me a bit warmer, eh?"

Alya's eyes narrowed. "I am sure I could achieve that in _many_ different ways, but surely you're manly enough to deal with a little bit of chilly weather?" Her voice was teasing, but equally laced with poison. Hans only frowned at her grumpily and hissed. Ayla didn't even look the slightest bit put out. "Besides, I've already made sure we can't be detected by magic, so technically, I've already given you something. I'm not going to spoil you."

"You're messing with fire, witch, but have it your way." Hans' voice was snappish as he narrowed his eyes. "Come on. Let's get this over and done with."

Ayla grinned, following the prince while discretely waving her hands over her body to warm herself up, smiling smugly as she watched the man in front of her shivering from the cold. "So, Hans. What is it that we are doing, exactly?" She walked a little more briskly to keep up with the Prince in front of her, her gown billowing out behind her.

Hans grinned through chattering teeth. "Well, it has come to my attention that the royals of Arendelle could quite easily find out about our plans, through one... Creature. He is said to be incredibly old, wise, and has his own magic. I do not know the extent of his powers, but it has come to my attention that he may be able to predict the future."

Ayla nodded. "I understand, now." she affirmed, though she looked quite chipper. "If this is true, this person could discover our plans, perhaps reveal unto the Arendelle Royals what we have in store for them, and our schemes would fail." She looked around, frowning. "Where, exactly, do we find this person, though? Unless I am much mistaken, we are in the middle of no where, and my magic cannot detect anyone aside from us."

Hans chuckled. "Your magic would not work on them. They have incredible abilities to disguise themselves, and I expect this protects them from magical detection as well."

"Pardon?"

"You'll see," Hans said, rubbing his palms as if malicious—though truthfully he only wanted the warmth. "Either way, we must eliminate this threat. It could ruin our whole plan, and we've already had one issue, what with Queen Elsa's pregnancy, so we can't afford another."

Ayla nodded, continuing after Hans in silence for a while but she stopped when she heard excited cheering a little way off. "Is that it?" she whispered and Hans nodded, pressing his fingers to his lips as he crept forwards, treading carefully. She nodded and continued to sneak after him, only halting until they came to a valley; Ayla had to stifle a gasp when she saw the chirpy creatures, made of rocks and moss and grass.

Within a second the atmosphere changed; the largest troll froze, his gaze meeting Ayla's for just a second before he transformed into a rock. His peers surrounding him followed suit immediately so that in a blink of an eye, all that lay in the valley were hundreds of large, mossy rocks. If they hadn't known of the trolls' presence in the area beforehand, Hans and Ayla never would have known any better, would have simply thought it to be a trick of the light.

It was such a magical scene already, it wasn't too hard to picture someone falling for the illusion.

"That one." Hans whispered, breaking Ayla out of her musings as he pointed to the largest rock; the sorceress nodded, concentrating on her target. Opening her palms wide, a beam of bright red light then shot in the direction of the hidden troll, but to no avail; it bounced away before it even reached him, flying backwards for a few metres before dissolving into the air.

"No!" Ayla whispered, "There's a shield—I can't get my magic to hit him."

Hans cursed under his breath, before his face lit up. "If you can't get the troll, get the shield instead." he instructed, his eyes narrowed as he looked all around the valley. Ayla frowned at first, her own eyes flicking around before she understood his words. Steeling herself, she then grinned as she flicked her wrist, and the force around the troll immediately began to glow green. It remained in that state for a few seconds before Ayla let out a loud yelp, her arms shooting to the side before she fell to the floor, her body twitching; the shield began to shrink, turning blue, then purple, pink, and finally, blood red.

The shield continued to constrict, growing smaller and smaller until, with a flash of bright, white hot light, it was wrapped tightly around the rock which wobbled about a little on the spot. A second's pause, and then it exploded; Ayla, laying on the floor but struggling up, grinned as a shower of pebbles rained down around herself and Hans.

Where Grand Pabbie had rested just a minute before lay nothing but the necklace he had worn around his neck; slowly it sunk into the ground, glowing bright, until its light disappeared under a coating of dirt. Ayla's beam increased even more before she groaned, her vision blurring as she took Hans' hand, popping away from the scene as tendrils of buttercups, bright and yellow as the old troll's fire crystals, sprouted up all around the valley. And, from the place in which Pabbie had rested, an especially sizeable flower grew up rapidly, stopping just before it could bloom, a large and magnificent rose bud standing tall in the orange light of the sunrise.

Though he was gone, the air of magic, wisdom, and, most significantly, the caring nature which always radiated in Pabbie's presence still hung around, living on, and the cold air was alive with the spirit of him. The bright lights in the sky began to shine boldly, twirling and twisting through the air as if dancing. And as the trolls began to change back into their normal forms, despite being saddened, they did not mourn, for they knew in their hearts that Pabbie was still with them.

* * *

**So, first complaint - I got very few reviews last chapter, which really makes me sad. And the chapter before that, and the chapter before that... It's becoming increasingly difficult for me to write these chapters, because I haven't got the inspiration I normally get from reviews. If you want longer chapters more often, then the answer is simple; just review more often! Yay!**

**I'm going to start bringing back the challenges, so hopefully this will help you to review! Anyway, here's the first challenge:**

**We all know Ayla, at least a little, now. But what are her intentions? Her interests? Why is she getting involved with the conflict? And just how strong is she? It's your chance to have your say! **

**So, what do you think Ayla is like? Answer the above questions, and include any more information about her which you can think of. My favourite biography will have the chance to be included in the story later on, so don't miss out on this opportunity!**

**-SG**


	21. Chapter 21 - dedicated to BlackKnght

_**Hans cursed under his breath, before his face lit up. "If you can't get the troll, get the shield instead." He instructed, and Ayla frowned, before she understood his words. Steeling herself, she flicked her wrist, and the force around the troll began to glow green, before it began to shrink, turning blue, then purple, pink, and finally, blood red.**_

_**The shield continued to shrink, and then, with a flash of bright, white hot light, exploded, and Ayla grinned as a shower of pebbles rained down around herself and Hans.**_

_**Where Grand Pabbie had rested just a minute before, lay nothing but the necklace he had worn around his neck, which slowly sunk into the ground, glowing bright, until it's light disappeared under a coating of dirt. Ayla grinned, taking Hans' hand, popping away from the scene, as tendrils of buttercups, bright, and yellow as the old troll's fire crystals, sprouted up all around the valley.**_

_**From the place in which Pabbie had rested, a large, yellow flower grew up rapidly, stopping before it could bloom, a large and magnificent rose bud standing tall in the orange light of the sunrise.**_

_**And though he was gone, the air of magic, wisdom, and, most significantly, the caring nature, which always radiated in Pabbie's presence, still remained, living on, and the cold air was alive with the spirit of him, as bright lights in the sky began to shine brightly, twirling through the air, as if dancing. And as the trolls began to change back into their normal forms, despite being saddened, they did not mourn, for they knew in their hearts that Pabbie was still with them.**_

* * *

"Good morning, Princess Mia," Hans said as he peeked around the door, pausing for a second before entering the room, sitting down next to the young girl who was laying in her new bed, her eyes wide with terror. She whimpered slightly as he smiled at her, only shrinking under the covers further; the Prince immediately moved a little away from her, trying to convey to her that he was not about to hurt her. If she could come to that conclusion herself, without the fact being forced upon her, she'd be more likely to believe it.

At any rate, it was the truth; Hans had no mind to hurt the young girl for she could come in useful with her powers. Of course, now that he had Ayla on his side Mia's value had lessened, but she could still be an asset to him; if he could convince her to get close to her parents, no matter how scared she might be, there would be a direct way to kill them. Besides, she was clearly powerful, and if he hurt her she would likely hurt him back, whether intentionally or not.

"How are you, Mia?" he said gently, smiling warmly. "Are you feeling better?" Mia did little more than mumble quietly, still shrinking away and causing a small sigh to escape from Hans' lips. Time was of the essence but sadly, he couldn't rush her—she needed to come to trust him herself, or the plan would never work.

Standing up, Hans bowed slightly, the perfect smile not once leaving his lips. "Would you like anything to eat?" he tried now, a last resort before leaving, and Mia's eyes became the slightest shade brighter as she nodded very stiffly. "I'll get you some soup, if you'd like?" Once again she nodded and Hans walked over to her slowly, scaring the child though he tried to ignore this—though he wanted her to trust him, he couldn't just sit on the sidelines. He had to prove he was not the monster she thought he was. Thus he simply laid his hand upon her shoulder gently, wincing as she stiffened up and whined. Trying to remain unfazed, he whispered in as soothing a tone as he could muster, not unlike the ones his mother had once used on him, "Don't worry, Sweetie. You're safe now." Smiling, he then turned and left to fetch a maid to bring her a bowl of soup, waving eagerly before slipping out of the room. The second he left, of course, his face dropped the act of gentleness and instead a scowl graced his features.

_Bloody child, _he thought to himself, trying unsuccessfully to shrug off his frustrations. _It's such a pain, having to work everything around her. _His mood only got worse when he recalled the massive detail which was Queen Elsa's pregnancy and he clenched his fists, trying to calm down, knowing full well that if he didn't he'd probably end up breaking something.

Breathing deeply a few times, Hans' snarl increased as he achieved no immediate success—and then, no more than a second later, a wave of pure relief washed over him and he sighed as his mind cleared of all emotions for a minute. He frowned a little, perplexed, but then chuckled.

"Hello, Ayla," he said, and the woman smiled as she walked over to stand before him.

The woman grinned. "I'm feeling well, thanks," she said before Hans even had a second to ask, "Although I couldn't help but notice that you seemed just the tiniest bit frustrated and stressed. Thought I might lend you a hand; it's no good planning world domination when you're in a bad mood. Completely counterproductive, actually; you'd end up killing everyone and have no one to control, simply because you were a bit grumpy and they were being boring to you."

Hans gasped, putting on a face of mock innocence. "Me? Really?" He teased, truthfully in a good mood from Ayla's handiwork—more so than he'd been in a long, long time. His companion clicked her fingers, causing devil horns and a tail to sprout.

"Yeah, I'd say so." she replied as she waved her hand, making the new accessories disappear. "At any rate, I need to talk to you."

"Me too. So, I've been wondering, what's your story?" He leaned against the wall lazily, taking a large bite out of a large, sour green apple sat upon a ledge, savouring the sharp taste, even as sour as it was, and he cringed slightly. "I mean, why are you actually getting involved with this whole thing?"

Ayla shrugged slightly. "My mother and brother always ignored me. They were clever, but even though I had less magic than they did, I was always much smarter. And unlike them, my blood's got natural magic anyway, so I can harness magic better, wield it easier. So... I'm probably as powerful as them. At any rate, though, they were family, so... I guess I've inherited their goal, so to speak, and I can't let their death go to waste, now, can I?"

"Honestly, I got the impression that you were more of a lone wolf. I can't see you taking up some mission to honour your mother and brother."

"You don't even know me," Ayla hissed momentarily, but then shrugged a little. "But, eh, I guess you're a good judge of character. I want more magic, and the Arendelle royals' blood can give me it. And, I suppose I can get you powers as well if you're a good boy and play nicely."

Hans chuckled at Ayla's almost sweet finish to her short speech, and opened his mouth to speak before she reached forwards and placed a finger on his lips, grinning. "But anyway, like I was going to say, I want to talk to you. So, I've been thinking..."

"God help us all," Hans whispered, and Ayla huffed.

"I don't like the cheerful you. Don't go thinking I'll help you out again when you almost blow a fuse in frustration. Quite frankly, you're almost annoying like this. And before you say it, yes, you."

Hans chuckled. "You can read minds." he joked, and Ayla laughed.

"I probably can, actually, although I've never tested it out, so stop thinking whatever you are and get back on track, Princey," she scolded, before continuing with slightly a less chipper attitude. "Like I was saying, I was thinking and, correct me if I'm wrong, I do believe that we really need to start getting a move on. I know about the situation with Mia, but would it not be prudent to begin the attack, and continue to... Train her, so to speak, whilst the war is raging. Perhaps we could even stage it to look like Arendelle and Corona started the war, which would surely make the princess angry and help our cause?"

Hans paused for a moment, weighing up the suggestion.

Oh, what to do?

* * *

Queen Elsa sat quietly as she rubbed her slightly aching stomach gently, all the while her sister gently massaged her aching shoulders. "Thank you for this, Anna," she said. "It means a lot to me. Odd said he'd do it, but then he had to go out to help with the search for Mia this morning as you know, so..."

Anna sighed. "I'm not even getting my hopes up, anymore. They haven't found her in two months, so I can't really see her being found at all anymore." She stopped rubbing her sister's shoulders for a moment and sobbed, though she quickly tried to conceal it and started up her actions again. "I mean, how often have you heard of royalty being kidnapped and not killed? Except for ransom, which they'd have demanded by now."

Elsa's face fell. "Oh, Sweetie... We'll find her, don't worry. In fact, I've been thinking, and I do suspect that it may have something to do with her powers. I expect that whoever kidnapped her is keeping her so that they can use her magic."

Anna nodded, sadly. "I wish I had magic... Then if I ever found them, I could freeze them, and then blast them to smithereens."

At first Elsa looked taken aback, but she smiled softly after. "You want magic, you say?" she whispered, her grin shaky. "You seem to have forgotten about your own talent."

"Talking people into insanity?" Anna suggested feebly, something which did achieve a small giggle from Elsa. Though she was terrified for her niece, she was glad her sister was at least trying to be a little happier, if very occasionally, and she wasn't too worried herself; she was convinced her hypothesis was correct.

"Well, other than that," she teased. "You can channel magic, remember?"

Anna was silent for a second before she nodded, recalling the way she had been able to harness her sister's magic before. Just as she focused on the memory, Elsa took her hand in her own, channeling some of her own icy magic into the princess; Anna shivered but smiled very slightly at this, a few soft snowflakes forming in the air; Elsa batted at her hand gently.

"Save it for someone else," she whispered, then standing up. "Come on. Let's go see how the search is going."

Anna nodded, trailing after her sister as she stumbled out of the door.

"So, Elsa," she said, but her voice had lost it's slightly happy edge. Nevertheless, she'd at least been happy for a few minutes when she was distracted. "When are you, you know, due?"

Elsa smiled softly, forgetting her sister's own pain. "Well, it's December now and I'm about four months along, so... Probably some time in May, I reckon. We don't know for sure, but it's a pretty good guess."

Anna nodded. "You should probably... Tell the kingdom soon." She spoke slowly, her words slightly shaky before a few tears rolled down her stained cheeks, remembering the presentation of Mia just as Elsa replied "yes". Naturally the latter stiffened immediately before sighing, noticing her slip up.

"Oh, come here Anna..." she whispered, opening her arms wide to accept her sister in an embrace—though at first, the princess remained still and refused to move. "Shush, it'll be okay. I promise." Gently, she smoothed her sister's hair and cooed softly, trying to calm her, not hearing Ida's approach. The poor woman looked terrible, even worse than Anna; her daughter had, after all, been murdered just a week or so before.

"Excuse me, Ma'am?" she said and Elsa, caught up in her sister's distress, jumped a little in surprise. "I've a letter here for you, from Corona." Her voice was dull and she retreated shakily as the Queen took it softly.

"Thank you, Ida," she said, "but I really must insist you at least take a few days off. I hate to see you like this..."

Ida shook her head. "It helps to keep myself busy. Just working through the pain... It helps..." She sobbed softly, turning away from her queen and princess in shame, and Anna's eyes widened immediately. Pushing herself away from her sister, she rushed over to Ida and pulled her into a hug, both women clinging to each other for support as Elsa read her letter.

A soft thud made the two grief-stricken mothers both spin around to see Elsa, the master of regality—when in the public eye, at least—leaning up against the wall, her knuckles white where she was gripping the ledge so tightly. The letter had already fallen from her grasp, floating down to the floor like a feather.

"What is it, Elsa?" Anna asked, her voice even shakier than before; Elsa gasped slightly before she began to speak.

"The southern Isles and Weselton," she whispered, her eyes snapping to her sister in a shocking flash of brightest blue, shining with tears. "They've gone to war with Corona!"

* * *

**Things are _really_ starting to heat up now!**

**So, you got a little snippet of Mia, a little snippet of Ayla, and a little bit of Anna and Elsa time! Yay!**

**First, in response to a review by Maria Corona, a guest, firstly, if your dog fell asleep while you were reading it to him, then I'm actually pretty impressed it hung around and didn't go off - as far as I know, dogs aren't all that interested in someone reading to them. Secondly, you can't have a twin cousin, so, to be honest, you are just making a fool of yourself. Perhaps I'll lose readers for saying this, and I hope I won't, but please don't keep reading, because to be honest, you are really being stupid. If the story is so rubbish, why bother reading anyway? You're simply being a troll, and all it does is make me think how pathetic you are acting. I don't appreciate stupid reviewers.**

**Anyway, rant aside, please review. Sorry it took a long time to update - I was hoping that if I left it a while then more people would review. Still I didn't get many comments, and it makes me sad. To encourage y'all on, here is the next challenge for this chapter! (Thanks to everyone who entered the challenge last chapter!)**

**So, there is a war about to start, or at least, which Arendelle will be joining. So, are there any particular events / scenes you want to see occur? (For example, a fight scene, etc)**

**Thanks for reading! Happy second month anniversary to Frozen Powers, and hopefully there will still be many more birthdays for this story! (P.S. The whole series so far is six and a half months old... the time has flown by, don't you think?)**

**See you around!**

**SG**


	22. Chapter 22 - dedicated to Stylin80

_**"Excuse me, Ma'am?" She said, and Elsa jumped a little in surprise. "I've a letter here for you, from Corona." Her voice was dull, and the Queen took it softly.**_

_**"Thank you, Ida." She said, "But I really must insist you at least take a few days off. I hate to see you like this..."**_

_**Ida shook her head. "It helps to keep myself busy. Just working through the pain... It helps..." She sobbed softly, and Anna's eyes widened. Quickly, she rushed over to Ida and pulled her into a hug, both women clinging to each other for support, as Elsa read her letter.**_

_**A soft thud made the two grief-stricken mothers look around, to see Elsa, the master of regality and a strong Queen, leaning against the wall, her knuckles white where she was gripping the ledge so tightly. The letter fell from her grasp, floating down to the floor like a feather.**_

_**"What is it, Elsa?" Anna asked, worriedly, and Elsa gasped slightly, before she began to speak.**_

_**"The southern Isles and Weselton," She whispered, "They've gone to war with Corona!"**_

* * *

"What!" Anna cried out, quickly pushing herself away from Ida as she rushed over to Elsa who had fallen to the floor, helping her stand up on her shaking legs. "That can't be true!"

Ida's face looked stricken as she stiffened, quickly rushing away before she could hear any more. Solemnly, Elsa nodded slowly, and Anna gasped, clutching on to Elsa's arm.

"Elsa!" she shrieked, her face pale. "What if Rapunzel gets hurt? What if Mia's in the Southern Isles and gets hurt—th-they're the ones that took her! What if-?"

With a shaky voice, Elsa hastened to quiet her sister, muttering, "Shush, Anna." Gently placing her hand on the princess' shoulder she then drew the younger woman closer, into a warm embrace. "I said to Odd I wouldn't let his sister's murder go without punishment, and I won't. And you know what? I won't let anyone else get hurt either."

Anna pushed herself away from her sister, her forehead creased. Her eyes shone and her entire expression was downcast—but at least she'd stopped shaking. "Thank you, Elsa." she whispered as she buried her head in her sister's shoulder, taking slow, deep breaths.

A slight disturbance came from the left, and Elsa and Anna spun around to see Kristoff and Odd standing in the doorway. The younger immediately gasped and all but leapt into her husband's arms, noting instantaneously how freezing he was. "Kristoff!" she moaned, clutching at his shirt. Repeating the news only made her worse—drove the danger home even more. "They've gone to war with Corona! The Southern Isles!" Suddenly overwhelmed by distress once again she soon began to shudder a little more; the prince held her tightly as he spared a shocked glance at Elsa over his wife's shoulder, his grip so firm on her that she almost choked. At the least, the lack of air ceased her sobs.

"Don't worry," Kristoff whispered, smoothing her hair with a horrified expression on his face; it was a good thing Anna couldn't see his face. "Everything's gonna be okay—when's it ever ended so badly?"

Anna looked up at him warily and then over to Elsa; though she had both of their words she could not be reassured. Letting her eyes fall to the floor she then stepped away from her husband and settled her gaze on the ground, folding her hands in front of her. Seier came trotting over to her at that moment, coming from around the corner and out of the shadows where he had previously been lurking. Rubbing against her leg softly and scratching just in front of his ears, he made a few grunts and looked up to her with large amber eyes.

Elsa, having turned away from the scene to instead focus on her people down in the villages below, yelped as she felt two large hands come to rest on her waist, a man's head coming to rest just beside her ear. "Come on, Elsa," Odd whispered softly to her, his breath brushing her ear and tickling the side of her face. She couldn't help but pick up on the slight huskiness of his voice—but under the circumstances, it was surely just a sign of fear. "We need to talk."

Slowly, as if in a trance, she nodded and turned to leave with her husband, squeezing her sister's hand as she passed before walking to their room so that they could have some privacy to discuss things. Elsa—whose entire body by now felt numb—sat down on the bed before sighing, falling back as she hid her eyes with her hands, groaning. The pain which arose in her shoulders didn't help; as she softly tried to massage the joints, trying to find some relief from the aches. Not once did Odd offer to help her, something for which the poor queen silently cursed him as she watched him looking out of the window, just as she'd done before.

"You wanted to talk?" she snapped grumpily and Odd, not expecting her to be so standoffish at all, looked slightly taken aback at the tone of her voice—though he soon relaxed again after the initial shock had worn off. He nodded, leaving the window to sit on a sofa located in the corner of the room, and Elsa groaned as she moved herself so that she could see him.

_Selfish git,_ she thought, the aches from her shoulders—where had it even come from?—interfering with her thought patterns; she quickly tried to hide her frustration with a small, tight smile. Either way, Odd didn't seem to be looking at her so it made no difference.

"So, I hear the Southern Isles has gone to war with Corona, huh?" he asked and Elsa nodded stiffly, mumbling her assent as she switched to her other shoulder to relieve that one instead. Odd groaned. "That's not good... at all. What should we do? We have to help them... They're only a small kingdom, and they can't stand up to the Southern Isles."

Elsa sighed. "You're right, Odd. But... I'm not sure what we can do. We could go and help them, but the Southern Isles are strong. We have a great navy, although our army is weak so there isn't all that much which we can do to help."

Odd nodded. "That's true, but like you say, our navy _is_ strong. Perhaps it would be possible to... I don't know, attack them from the sea? The, uh, enemy, I mean."

Elsa frowned, huffing grumpily as she shrugged. "I guess so..." she said with a sigh. "But I'm unsure... I would hate to let the people of Corona get hurt, but I do not want to help if all that will come is more fatalities of our own people. There is only so much we can do if they have already begun to storm Corona, as we have trained our men to protect us from the sea. They do not have experience of battle on land. Not to mention, if we send the navy over there we'll be weak ourselves."

Odd sighed, running his hands through his coyote brown hair. "Yes, but Elsa, this is Corona we're talking about!" he argued, "Your cousin lives there, and if we do not help, then you may as well sign her death warrant!"

Elsa gasped at her husband's retort. "Are you trying to make me feel guilty!" She snapped, "This is not an easy choice. Naturally I don't want to let her get hurt, but if that costs the lives of so many... I don't know what to do!"

"That should be an easy choice, Elsa!" Odd snapped back, "She is family, not to mention she is royalty! What is the death of commoners against the death of a monarch! Royals are chosen by God, Elsa, and it would be forever frowned upon if you were to allow the death of a fellow ruler simply because you would not risk a few people of no true value in her place!"

Elsa stood up, and she folded her arms above her stomach, glaring at him furiously. "How dare you!" She shouted, "Whether or not royalty are chosen by God is irrelevant; no true, compassionate God would simply... dispose of some 'worthless' people in exchange for one other! I am no better than anyone else in my kingdom, and nor, I believe, is anyone else!" She sat down slowly, placing her head in her hands. "I won't send my people to war, and sign some of _their_ own death warrants, if it will not make a difference." Letting out a breath she then lay backwards, wincing as she rubbed her shoulders. "I need some time alone. Please, just go."

Odd growled and he frowned at her, frustrated. "Look, Elsa!" he snapped, folding his arms across his chest. "You've got to go to this war! And if you won't, I guess I'll just have to make you!"

Elsa's mind was in turmoil and she had to hide a whimper as he spoke. _Ways to make me?_ she thought, terrified. Whatever had happened to him when he was attacked by the 'eagle' had left him... Changed was probably the only word to describe his new demeanour. Elsa's eyes shone with worry, and Odd was quick to pick up on this. He grinned, the scars upon his face dark and more obvious in the shadows, and it only served to make him seem more dangerous.

"Now, Elsa, will you go to war and help Corona?" he growled, and Elsa squeezed her eyes shut in thought for just a moment before sighing.

"I don't know, I told you already." she said with as much strength as she could muster and was rewarded with a sharp slap to her cheek. She gasped, shuffling backwards and feeling her heart rate increasing—but not so much for herself, but for him; if he let her get too scared, she had no doubts that she'd hurt him. Despite the way her cheek was still stinging, Elsa couldn't help but worry she'd hurt him back—she cared for him too much to even want to consider it.

"Now, Elsa, will you help Corona!" Odd repeated himself and Elsa's eyes narrowed as she stared at him defiantly.

_Pray tell, Lord, why would he hit me?_

"I don't know." The easy answer would be 'yes' and deep down, from the way Odd was watching her, looking at her so devilishly, she knew he would not stop until she said so—but until that point she would stay strong. She would not subject her subjects to war if no benefit would come from it.

Odd's hand slashed at her cheek again and a faint squeak escaped the Queen's lips. She could feel the way the air was quickly cooling and from the corner of her eyes, she could see icicles forming around the walls.

Odd, it seemed, noticed this too; before Elsa could do anything he was laying atop her, pinning her hands down firmly by the wrists, and it was quite clear what he was doing: by pinning her down, the Queen could not direct her magic at him, and could not hurt him.

He grinned at her coldly, his green eyes—duller than the queen remembered them—glinting, and Elsa squirmed uncomfortably as she felt a new pressure pushing down upon her legs. Writhing, she struggled to get free, suddenly terrified of what was coming. "Please, Odd... Get off me, please... Can't we just talk about this... Don't be rash..." She begged him, and the man laughed slightly.

"You know what's coming, don't you, Elsa?" he said, taunting her, his voice sharp; the poor woman only moaned as she tried to pull free, achieving no success. "Will you help Corona?"

Elsa's voice trembled as she answered, in barely a whisper, "I don't know," once again; Odd only sighed.

"That's a shame. For you, at least. It would have been better for you if you'd just agreed, but I'm fine with things this way..." He flashed his white teeth at her in a cold sneer before forcibly slamming his lips against hers, shoving her arms above her head and tying them together with the belt of Elsa's dressing gown. She squirmed again and Odd slapped her reddened cheek, making the developing bruise suddenly darker and more obvious. "You just need a bit more convincing, Elsa. I'll stop once you agree."

Elsa, however, continued to squirm desperately, but to no avail - she was stuck, and she looked at Odd with large, pleading eyes. "Odd, please don't! Think of the baby - it could hurt the baby!" Her pleading seemed to have no effect on Odd, however, who payed absolutely no attention to her.

A small tear escaped Elsa's eyes as she continued to struggle, her mind in overdrive. _I__f you wanted me so badly, you only had to ask... _

Tears streamed down her face, staining her cheeks just as her sister's were, and she gritted her teeth as the monster began to torture her in the worst way possible—and throughout the ordeal, she did not once surrender.

She would never give in to evil.

* * *

Anna spared a glance at Kristoff, her eyebrows creased. "Elsa and Odd have been talking for a long time," she whispered, her tone nonchalant as she stroked the wolf whose head was resting upon the princess' lap lazily. "Do you think we should go and see if everything is alright?"

Kristoff shrugged. "Why wouldn't it be? Honestly, I'm sure it's okay. I think for now, we should just... Well, I suppose we should give them at least ten more minutes. It's a difficult subject."

Anna nodded, hanging her head and receiving a small, smelly lick from Seier as a result. "Okay," she said. "I guess you're right. Hopefully if Elsa can make a good decision, we can sort this all out. All of it, and that means maybe we'll even be able to get Mia back too. She's adamant Mi's okay."

Kristoff nodded as he pulled Anna closer to him and rested his head atop of hers, breathing in the flowery smell of her hair and relaxing at the familiar, comforting aroma.

_I hope you're right, Anna._ he thought.

* * *

Ayla smiled at Hans. "Don't worry, Princey-boy." she said, yawning as she tried to stretch her arms. "I'm pretty sure I've resolved the issue revolving around the little, one armed kid. Any information he knew won't be much use now, I expect."

Hans looked at Ayla suspiciously. "What did you do?" he asked, his words only prompting the blonde haired woman to shrug; her blue eyes shone sweetly, a dim halo materialising above her head.

"Me? Nothing... sort of." she said, "I was just being friendly, I made an illusion of Mia for him. The boy was playing with her—I can't be held responsible if anything bad happened."

Hans chuckled. "You know, you're completely twisted."

Ayla giggled, as her halo disappeared. "Oh, no. I'm just ambitious; I like to achieve my goals. You might call me an opportunist, I just take any chances that I get."

Hans shrugged. "Fair enough," he replied, seemingly unperturbed by the woman's evidently questionable tactics. "I like to achieve my goals too—and, I'd say, my goals are going well."

* * *

Elsa shuddered as Odd finally climbed off of her, red in the face and breathing hard, looking quite pleased with himself, in a psychotic way. Pulling his clothes back on, he laughed as he watched the queen slip beneath the covers quickly, trying to protect her honour, though there was little point in that.

"How could you?" she whispered, just as a wave of dizziness clouded her vision slightly and she began to panic. A momentary sharp pain arose in her abdomen, and then went almost a second later; trying not to let herself descend any deeper into terror, she could only pray that it was a one-off thing. "Why have you changed so?"

Odd shrugged. "Oh, _I've_ not changed all that much, really. You just think I have."

Elsa felt a small tear leak from her eye, though she brushed it off quickly. "You're not the man I married. The man I married is sweet. And has some honour, too. You're nothing more than... Than a monster."

Odd chuckled. "No, no, Queen," he whispered, just a thought began to form in Elsa's mind. "I'm not a monster—I'm just a man."

"Get out."

Elsa even surprised herself at the strength and confidence in her words and her hands, now free, wrapped around her stomach. Part of her believed she could simply her baby in, willing it not to die.

Odd, seeing her actions, only shrugged. "Before I go, tell me just one thing." He spoke slowly, every one of his words dripping with loathing. "Will you help Corona?"

Elsa paused, coming to realise that, assuming the tone of his voice was any clue, he seemingly had no problem with repeating the last ten minutes. She only had to think for a moment, and finally she answered.

"Yes."

Odd smiled triumphantly, turning to leave as he adjusted a button on his shirt. And Elsa,_ s_till hiding beneath the covers, watched as the door opened and felt a wave of hope crash over her; it immediately dissolved when she heard Odd speaking, his voice fairly normal-sounding. "Elsa's tired, she's taking a nap."

The door shut quietly and finally, Elsa let her emotions run free, not contained behind the wall of false strength she had been hiding behind before. The tears then flowed freely as she pulled her knees up to her stomach and wrapped her arms around them, humming quietly to herself, absolutely terrified. Her body was shaking and her very core felt sore, aching with from painful sores Odd had inflicted upon her.

_No_, she thought, moaning, _he's not the man I married at all_.

* * *

**Okay, first things first, I got a review requesting that I include Ariel into this... What do you think about this? With the war, it would be easy to incorporate her into it. What do you think, though - too far fetched? Too much crossover (what with Tangled already being included in this). Please leave a review with your comments on this.**

**Next, to the person who asked for some ElsOdd fluff in this chapter... yeah. Not exactly - sorry. I expect I'm going to get skinned alive by half of my reviewers for this chapter... actually, one person did threaten that... please! I deserve to live! (Besides, no more updates without me writing them, haha! You can't skin me alive)**

**Just quickly, a note before anyone says anything; when Odd says about 'royalty being chosen by God' and whatnot, whether you believe in this or not (personally, I don't, but each to their own and I hold no different views for any religion), just bear in mind that Frozen is set in the 1800s, when society was very religious. I can't imagine any of the characters being all that religious, myself, but I will still use some religious references, simply because that is custom of the time it's set in.**

**Now, this was one of the darker chapters, as I expect you've noticed. What's up with Odd - do ****you know? What do you think is making him act so out of character? Leave your thoughts in a review, and, even if you have no opinion, leave a review anyway!**

**Now, I'm planning to make the next chapter a song chapter. What do you think? It will be a duet between villain and hero, although I haven't quite decided which villain to do yet. Anyway, I might not do a song, it depends on the comments I get. **

**Anyway, it's up to you guys. Should I try, or not? Please leave your opinion.**

**-SG**


	23. Chapter 23 - dedicated to Pabulover123

**_Odd smiled triumphantly, turning to leave as he adjusted a button on his shirt. And Elsa, still hiding beneath the covers, watched as the door opened and felt a wave of hope crash over her; it immediately dissolved when she heard Odd speaking, his voice fairly normal-sounding. "Elsa's tired, she's taking a nap."_**

**_The door shut quietly and finally, Elsa let her emotions run free, not contained behind the wall of false strength she had been hiding behind before. The tears then flowed freely as she pulled her knees up to her stomach and wrapped her arms around them, humming quietly to herself, absolutely terrified. Her body was shaking and her very core felt sore, aching with from painful sores Odd had inflicted upon her._**

**_No, she thought, moaning, he's not the man I married at all._**

* * *

"Elsa?" A quiet voice sounded from outside the door and though the queen reeled back quickly when she first heard the person, she soon relaxed when she came to realise that it was just her sister. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, uh, yes, of course... Just g-give me a minute." Elsa's voice was hasty as she spluttered over her words, looking in her mirror at the bright purple bruise upon her cheek with horror. Scampering to fetch a face flannel, cooling it with her powers and pressing it to her face, she sighed at the soothing chill. "Okay, come in."

The door opened fairly slowly and Anna came in hesitantly, glancing at her sister with a concerned smile. "Hi, Elsa. Are you feeling better? Odd said you were tired." Eyeing the flannel against her sister's cheek with a frown as her sister nodded, muttering something about needing the rest, Anna's smile fell and she took a step closer, folding her arms. "What's wrong?"

Elsa tried to smile, only managing to do so weakly. "Nothing. It's just a little bruise—I hit my cheek on my bedside table." Laughing weakly, Elsa tried her best to brush it off as a mere accident. "Can't believe I nearly fell out of bed..."

Anna raised her eyebrows, reaching forwards tentatively before drawing her hand back. "You fell out of bed? Really?" she asked, frowning; then jerking her hand forwards she snatched the flannel from Elsa's grip, revealing the massive blotch of purple. Eyes widening, she then looked up to her now-shaking sister, aghast. "What on earth did you do? You know you can tell me anything, right? I'm your sister... Whatever it is, I won't judge you."

As Anna led Elsa over to the bed, sitting her down and then perching beside her, the latter laid her hands in her lap and immediately focused her attention in the opposite direction of Anna.

"Don't worry. It's nothing." Elsa said, trying once again to smile. But deep down, she knew that one way or another she knew she would have to tell her sister eventually—the Princess was always able to wheedle information out of people.

"It's not nothing, Elsa." Anna retorted, pressing the flannel back on her sister's cheek and smiling only slightly when she saw her sigh in relief. "Come on, I tell you everything."

Elsa moaned at her sister's persistance. "But..." she began, though she soon realised from Anna's expression that refusing would get her nowhere—and would only drive her sister to worry even more. "Can we at least... Take this somewhere else?"

"What? What's wrong with here? If you're worried, isn't this the best place?"

"No!" Elsa's word was sharp and sudden, so loud that Anna recoiled momentarily, her face changing into an even larger frown.

"Where do you suggest we'd go, then?" she asked, watching her sister's every movement with hesitation. The Queen sighed sadly, hanging her head.

"My... my ice palace, perhaps?" she suggested, her bottom lip qiuvering a little. "Just... I really don't want to stay here."

"Elsa, I... That's a long way. We'd never get there before the evening."

"We'll take food and blankets; we can stay there overnight."

Anna froze for a moment, taken aback; opening her mouth to complain, she then took note of her sister's increasingly panicked expression. Heartbroken, she nodded and took her sister's hand gently, trying to comfort her for whatever reason. Then, after helping Elsa to apply some make-up to her injury, knowing how quickly rumours would spread around Arendelle, and gathering a few essentials, as well as notifying a few guards as to where they were going—though Anna was quick to realise that a guard's presence would surely put her sister off even more—the pair made their way to the stables, fetching their respective horses and quickly mounting them.

"Sh-shall we go, then?" Elsa asked, and Anna looked a little unsure, holding Misty's reins tightly.

"I don't know... I haven't been up to your palace since, well, you froze my heart. I'm just a little nervous, I guess." She laughed softly, trying not to appear scared. "What if... I don't know, why don't we get Odd to come too? Maybe not Kristoff... I mean, you're friends, but... yeah. Do you want me to get one of the guards or the castle staff to go and find him, and get him to come with us?"

"No!" Elsa blurted, shocking her sister at the sudden outburst and she immediately recoiled, her face paling. "Sorry... No, I don't think we should."

Anna frowned but nodded slowly, pushing her mare into a trot. Elsa, not quite as responsive as she normally would have been, stalked for a moment before following her lead.

She was careful to always remain at least a few metres behind.

The journey was quiet and though the younger princess tried to make conversation a few times, her sister was in no mood to talk; despite her best efforts, Anna was completely unable to get much more out of Elsa other than a few quite remarks, nothing of detail, nor anything which could be expanded upon in a discussion. In the end, she settled for occupying herself simply by cantering most of the distance, the exhiliration at least something to keep her own spirits up.

Eventually, after a long, rather arduous journey up the mountain, the pair reached the towering castle of ice. As Anna had said, the late morning light was long gone and the sun had begun its lazy descent from the sky, making the palace appear to glow a warm, comforting shade of light orange. Elsa looked at her creation a little unsurely, and sighed as she watched her sister tying up Misty to the icy stairs. Slowly, Elsa did the same, forming an igloo of sorts around the creatures to keep them warm after scattering some oats, but her heart was not really in it; all the while, her brain was in turmoil, and her heart was beating ten to the dozen in fear. She had no idea how to tell her sister what had happened—she didn't even know where to start.

Avoiding Marshmallow, who was busy making his own little snowmen around the castle, the two women entered through the large entrance doors. Elsa then timidly led her sister to one of the rooms leading off from the main hall where she fashioned herself and Anna a chair to sit upon.

"So, Elsa..." Anna whispered, fiddling with her fingers. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

* * *

"On this day, we now proclaim you Queen of the Trolls, and protector of the Valley of the Living rock. By accepting this ceremonial cape, you accept the position offered unto you until the day the next true heir comes to the valley."

_Ugh, _Bulda thought to herself, _Why is it always so formal? Sheesh. _Putting on a smile and covering her frustration, she nodded, and two young trolls came forward with a mossy cape in their hands. Draping it over her, they bowed as they retreated away, giggling timidly. Meanwhile all the trolls around her cheered as Bulda stepped up to a large, steaming bowl full of clear liquid; slowly, as if doing so could hurt, she removed her fire crystal necklace. Taking a breath, she then let it slip into the basin, watching enthralled as the fluid began to change colour as it swirled around of it's own accord; the once transparent substance rapidly became darker in colour, the same shade as roses, and the troll conducting the ceremony wasted no time before he pulled the necklace back out once again. The crystals, once pink, were now bright yellow, and Bulda couldn't help but smile slightly as it was slipped around her neck.

"I now pronounce you Troll Queen Bulda, and bestow unto you the powers of our community."

The spectators watching the ceremony all grabbed hold of their crystals as every necklace began to glow brightly, but by far the brightest was Bulda's. For a moment the sky was completely aglow with the trolls' combined powers; then the shine faded, but still the electric feel of the magic rested in the air. Within a few seconds the community broke out into great applause, the new Queen waving her hands as lights sprung up in the sky as a result.

The atmosphere in the valley was excited and happy, but after a moment the lights fell. Bulda sighed as she looked at the large yellow rose bud, the only link which remained to Grand Pabbie.

_I wish you were here to see me, Father,_ she thought sadly, and as she did, the petals of the rose began to unfurl slightly. _I wish you were here—and I wish you'd hurry up so I can see you again._

* * *

"What's going on? Please... I'm right here for you, Elsa." Anna had barely paused for breath the entire time the sisters had been at the palace, urging her sister to open up; it hurt her ever so badly that she wouldn't. The young queen only whimpered a little, uncomfortable. "Has Odd done something to you? You were ever so... jumpy when I mentioned him earlier."

Elsa's eyes widened but she held her tongue, trying to shake her head convincingly, but Anna didn't need her to answer to know that her guess was true.

"C'mon, Elsa, I can see it in your eyes. He hit you, didn't he—that's why you won't give me a straight answer."

Elsa whispered, in a voice so small that she had hoped her sister wouldn't hear, "Y-yes." But Anna did manage to listen hard enough and her eyes flashed momentarily in anger, but she smiled at her sister soothingly.

"That's it! See, it's not so hard!" She beamed as she pulled her sister into a massive hug, proud as if she'd just averted a war. "So, that's the first step. Come on, won't you tell me why?"

Elsa faltered, sucking in a breath; the gentle touch of her sister's hand on her own, however, pushed her over the edge. "We... we were talking about the war with Corona, and what to do. I don't want to get Arendelle involved if all it will mean is our people all get killed, and you know we don't have a very strong army, only a strong navy." Anna nodded in agreement, urging her to continue, and Elsa let out the breath that she didn't know she had been holding, her hands shaking. "Anyway, I told Odd this, and he got annoyed at me for not knowing, and he said... Well, he said I should be more worried about what happens to Rapunzel, not just because she's our cousin, but because she's royalty."

Anna frowned. "Woah, woah, woah." she said, her nose scrunched in disgust. "Wait a second. Odd said that you should help because Rapunzel's royal? Even if it means killing our own people?"

Elsa nodded, her lip trembling. "I'm afraid so. He said that 'royalty are chosen by God', yada yada, and that we should be helping because of that. And if it was just me, then sure, but it's not. I mean, this is peoples _lives; _I'd be forcing them to go to war probably against their will, and I'd virtually be signing their death warrant! I just... I can't do that!"

Anna sighed. "Oh, Elsa..." She said, "That's a tough decision to make. But Odd should never have said those things. Still, that doesn't explain... why you're hurt, and jumpy, and stuff."

"Ugh," Elsa moaned as she buried her head in her hands, shaking it a few times and trying to clear her head, her heart rate jumping up rapidly. "Well, I... I said I don't know what I'd do, but he w-wanted me to say yes. So... he hit me. Not really hard, but he still hit me. Then he asked again, and... and I said I don't know, again. And then he hit me again. And... and I was scared, and there was ice on the walls, and he noticed this, and... And... And..." Looking away from her sister, Elsa took a single breath and, with no warning, she burst into tears, crying so hard that she could feel the front of her dress getting completely soaked.

Anna was still for a second before she gasped, throwing her arms around her older sister, holding her until her sobs ceased; it took a good long while for her to run out of tears, for she certainly hadn't calmed of her own accord.

Sitting up, Elsa wiped her eye with a trembling hand, trying to smile. "It seems everyone's crying nowadays, huh? It must be catching." She laughed weakly at her feeble little joke and Anna, too, forced a quiet, unsure laugh, although the joke wasn't even funny at all. Looking directly at her sister, she helped her wipe tears from the other eye, softly crooning under her breath to calm her, something she didn't even notice she was doing. It had always been the thing she had used to quieten Mia when she was sad, and it seemed to have the same soothing effect on Elsa.

"Elsa... Please, tell me. What did he do to you? I know he did something more." Anna's voice was soft and Elsa was so desperate to tell her sister everything but she couldn't; shaking her head, she shrunk a little and looked even further away. "He... Oh, how do you put it... He exploited you, didn't he?" Her words were whispered and the queen's head shot up, panic in her eyes. "E-Elsa?"

Elsa closed her eyes and scuttled away from her sister, mumbling something quietly under her breath, the tone in her voice saying quite clearly 'let's not talk about this'. That, of course, pretty much confirmed Anna's suspicions.

When Elsa dared a glance at her sister, she was surprised to see the princess' face was bright red with pure rage and hatred. "How could he? _How could he!"_ she shouted, beating her hand down on the icy chair and wincing as she did, but the fury in her eyes was still there, a deadly dagger, cold and lethal. "No! No! No! This is not _right_! No! He cannot do that! No!"

Elsa looked at her sister worriedly. "Please, Anna, calm down..." she said quietly, the twinges she'd been feeling before coming back and she winced slightly. The princess spun on her sister, the way her eyes were shining dangerously suggested that such a request would not be received gently.

"Calm down! _Calm down_! You're my sister, and he.. That Monster! Ugh! How could he!" She took a moment to take a deep breath in. "Oh, if I get my hands on him... Ooh! And you're pregnant! That isn't right! He shouldn't... He... Oh, and to think I was the one to get you together!" Her eyes widened, her anger quickly fading as she too began to sob. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry, Elsa... This is all my fault..."

Elsa frowned at her sister, standing up and hugging the girl though her own shaky embrace was little comfort. "Hey, hey, hey... This i-isn't your fault. It's mine. I m-married him." She buried her face in her sister's hair, the younger princess pressing her own into the queen's shoulder. "But... well, I-I've been thinking. O-Odd's been really out of character recently. Something's off. He's b-been acting strangely for weeks, the animals all h-hate him when they used to adore him, and... I don't know, but h-he looks a bit different."

Anna raised her head. "Pardon?" she muttered, looking up to her sister. "What do you mean?"

Elsa took a deep breath. "What I m-mean is, his eyes appear smaller than I remember them, and they're a lot d-duller in colour too. They're normally really bright green, but now they're q-quite plain. Not to mention the new scars he has... I think he's h-hiding something. He said it was an eagle, but the doctor said it didn't l-look like an eagle injury."

Anna nodded. "Kristoff said that too." she added, but frowned. "Still, I don't get it. What are you trying to get at?"

Elsa took another breath, feeling her self-worth dwindle away even further. "Well... I think he... I think he's an i-intruder. Everything seems not to f-fit together with him, and just think—he s-started acting strangely when we had a fight! He went away, and it would have been e-easy for him to be captured and swapped with a fake Odd!"

Anna looked unconvinced, giving a sympathetic sigh. "I'm not sure, Elsa. It sounds like you're just refusing to believe he's changed. Your theory seems a little far fetched..."

Elsa sighed. "But... just think about it, A-Anna. He was trying to make me go to war with the Southern Isles! And he was saying how r-royalty are better than everyone else! He shouldn't think like that; he wasn't born into royalty, he was born as a, well, commoner, for lack of a better word!"

Anna considered this. "I guess Seier really _was _wary around him, and he'd know for sure, because, well, he's a wolf. And they can smell each person's different scent, I guess." She thought for a few more seconds. "I mean, it's not as if he was really trying hard to become royal when you married him; he married you because he loved you, not because you have status. So he obviously loved you then, and I don't see why he'd suddenly changed."

Suddenly, Anna's face went red, her ears looking like steam would soon come out of them. "Ooh! That means... that means he... he... he... Urgh! We. Are. Going. Now!" With Anna suddenly storming off, Elsa had to run to keep up with her sister who—terrifyingly—honestly looked like she would kill someone. The queen could only hope she wouldn't.

"What are you doing, Anna! It's too dark to go back now—wait 'til morning!" she yelled after her sister, grabbing the girl's dress just before she tore down the horses' igloo. Holding her back, she groaned and walked backwards slowly, her arms burning as she tried to constrain the woman.

"I'm going to kill him!" Anna yelled, and Elsa winced inwardly, not helped by the pain in her abdomen, knowing for sure he was in for a rough time. Anna may have looked sweet, innocent and weak, but she definitely wasn't one to mess with. Especially with the ice Elsa had given her to use 'in an emergency'.

And though she felt bad about it, a part of her desperate to stop her sister and protect her once-dear husband, a small smile crept up on her lips.

_You should never have messed with this family._

* * *

**Okay, I've had a lot of comments about how this story is getting increasingly dark, but don't worry - the last chapter will mark a turning point for the people of Arendelle!**

**Secondly, most reviews seemed a bit... unsure about a song chapter, so I didn't make one in the end. Ah well - hopefully this'll do ;)**

**Anyway, this chapter was a lot lighter than the last ones - it's probably a nice break for you guys, eh, even if it was one where Elsa had to discuss what had happened.**

**The last two chapters have been quite long, and I put a lot of effort in (it was especially hard for me to write the last one... it sickened me to write it but I had to. Sadly.) So, hopefully I'll get some reviews, eh? Haha, to encourage you guys on, I've got a new challenge for you guys:**

**What do you think will happen in future chapters / in the sequel (which is a way off yet)? How do you think this story will end, etc?**

**I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

**-SG**


	24. Chapter 24 - dedicated to BlackKnght

_**"I'm going to kill him!" Anna yelled, and Elsa winced inwardly, not helped by the pain in her abdomen, knowing for sure he was in for a rough time. Anna may have looked sweet, innocent and weak, but she definitely wasn't one to mess with. Especially with the ice Elsa had given her to use 'in an emergency'.**_

_**And though she felt bad about it, a part of her desperate to stop her sister and protect her once-dear husband, a small smile crept up on her lips.**_

**You should never have messed with this family.**

* * *

"Do you know where Elsa and Anna went, Kristoff?" Odd asked, his voice expressionless. "I haven't seen them since yesterday morning and I'm getting a little worried. I don't want anything to happen to them, especially now that..." He trailed off, eyes widening a little too quickly as he caught himself.

"What's that, mate?"

"Ah, nothing, nothing." Odd grumbled, frowning though his eyes glinted slightly in the warm candlelight. Kristoff only shrugged and then shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure, either. I saw them heading out together, and Anna said she was going up to the mountains. She wouldn't let me come, though, so I'm guessing it's something personal for them. Maybe one of their parents' birthdays or something? I'm not sure exactly where they went, though, but a couple of guards left ten minutes or so after them. They've not come back yet either, I don't think, so I'm guessing they're up there with the girls too."

Kristoff slowly began to walk away from Odd, heading towards the main castle entrance hall as he clenched his fist momentarily, obviously a little distressed even if he would not admit it. "I think I'm going to go and find Sven and take him out for a bit. I might take Olaf, and Lysse as well—she hasn't had any exercise for ages." He paused for a moment and frowned, scratching his cheek slowly. "At any rate, Anna made Olaf a carrot cake so I suppose I might as well get it to him now while I have a load of spare time... I'll give the girls an hour to get back, and after that, I'm going to see if I can find them. Guards or not, I'm still her husband. And, you know, I... I've lost enough."

Odd nodded, his lips thin. "Oh, right. Okay, then. That makes sense. I guess I'll stay here and wait then. I have a letter I need to write, anyway."

Kristoff frowned. "Oh? I thought Elsa dealt with all that stuff? You're pretty awful at writing."

Odd looked a little uncomfortable. "Yeah, but she's been tired lately. So, I offered to do it for her while she gets a rest. Of course, she'll still check it after, 'cause you know what she's like, but it'll take some of the weight off her shoulders." He chuckled nervously and began to turn to walk away. "I'd better get onto it, though, 'cause it takes me about an hour to write one bloody sentence in that stupid script."

Kristoff smiled at his brother in law, though he looked especially downtrodden. "I don't know why you bother with cursive, but that's nice of you." he said, looking away and turning his back. "Well, I'll see you around."

Odd forced a smile and nodded, waving a few times before turning around and frowning. _Ugh, _he thought to himself as he began to walk away, his eyes narrowed. _Some people really infuriate me._ Glancing out of a window to his right, he watched for a few moments as Kristoff galloped off and huffed grumpily. _I guess I'll just have to do something about him, then, as well. _

_There's just so much to do. Geez. Who'd have thought that this job would have been so much work?_

* * *

Sven bleated happily at the exhilarating feeling of running fast once again, Lysse mimicking the cry—arguably a little half-heartedly—as she followed close behind. Kristoff, too, smiled a little as his reindeer launched himself down a snow covered hill, skidding happily on the slippery surface as he slid down. The bull reared up as he increased in speed, continuing to skate down the slope; the man on his back gave a small laugh and grinned, his eyes showing a rare shine of life.

Sven tossed his head happily, his shaggy mane flying about everywhere, but a yelp tore from him as his hoof caught on a tree root. Almost immediately the pair were sent flying, Kristoff hanging onto his friend's coat desperately as they sped through the chilly december air. Lysse gave a humoured chirp as she launched herself after them as well, her little tail waggling. They all landed with a thud in the snow, rolling a few metres—by which point Kristoff had jumped off—before jumping up, chuckling and chuffing.

Sven made a few short grunts by means of saying, "Oops," and Kristoff stroked the bull's nose affectionately, chuckling, and patted the little calf beside him too. "Don't worry, boy. No harm done." he said, then noticing the squished package trapped under his friend's body. "Well, not much." he remarked, pulling the mess out and wincing. "I guess Anna's cake for Olaf's ruined. And she spent so long making it... But oh well. She'll get over it. I'm sure she'd enjoy the chance to make another anyway."

Sven, who was eying the package eagerly, made a few short grunts and turned his puppy-like gaze to his friend; Kristoff only rolled his eyes and undid the wrappings, tossing the mess in the direction of the two reindeer.

"Here you go, you two," he said, shaking his head as he lounged backwards. "You can finish this up and then... Well, we may as well head on back."

Sven bleated happily and Lysse bucked quickly before the pair tucked into the squished remains of the cake, both with tails which were nothing more than a blur.

* * *

"Slow down, Anna!" Elsa shouted, her voice almost lost in the screaming wind. "You'll kill your mare if you keep her going at this speed! At least go at a trot!"

At first, it appeared as if the princess would pay her sister no attention but a few moments later her posture, previously stiff, relaxed a little. Though she huffed and sent a glare back to the older woman she soon came to sigh, softly pulled back on the reins and lengthening them just a little as she did to give Misty a bit more freedom, allowing her to move her neck just a little more. "Fine," she said with a sigh, but her teeth were still gritted and though she had agreed to go slower, she still pushed the poor horse into a quick trot.

Cantering High Flyer for a moment so as to catch up, Elsa slowed her own mount next to her sister and then moved in front of her, causing Misty to let out a small rear as she skidded to a stop and backed up quickly, shocked.

"Elsa!" the princess moaned, her face quickly turning beetroot red in frustration. "Let me go!"

The queen shook her head, her eyes serious. "No, Anna. At least let Misty have a bit of a break first, then you can go again after that. I promise not to stop you doing... Whatever you're going to do, but please, just don't let it get in the way of your horse's health. She's a cracking mare—you don't want to damage her."

"Fine." Anna snapped again and Elsa sighed as she shook her head slightly, looking out across the horizon. She could just make out the very top of the castle peeking over the land in front of her, waiting for its queen to return, and she sighed.

_I almost hope he's not there._ she thought to herself, eyes shining very slightly. _Then at least no one else will get hurt._

Anna's small cough brought Elsa out of her trance and she looked behind herself stiffly, slowing down a little so that she was closer to her sister. "You know Heidi..." the princess began and Elsa nodded, signalling that she was listening. "You don't think Odd... You know..."

Elsa recoiled a little, her eyes glinting. "Of course not!" she cried, aghast, but then her gaze softened as she sat deeper into her seat. "I... Surely not? How could anyone be so barbaric. That's... That's a crazy suggestion, Anna. It..." She quietened quickly, her mind reeling. "But he... He didn't seem all that shocked when I told him. I... I thought he was just in shock, I..."

Anna's face grew brighter, a much deeper shade of red, while Elsa's white face developed a bright crimson tinge too, her lips were pierced tightly together.

"L-let's hurry back," she said, her voice shaking, and Anna nodded.

"Now."

* * *

Kristoff chuckled as he pushed Sven away from his face, not appreciating the wet licks for some reason the reindeer could not fathom. "No, boy! No kisses!" he scolded, and the bull hung his head sadly**. **Whining, Sven's ears fell flat and he made a few grumbles which could be translated as, "but I love you!" and Kristoff sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. I love you too, bud. Now, come on; we'd better get back home." Slowly he stood up, brushing off snow from his trousers, and he pulled a reluctant Sven up onto his hooves. Lysse whined as well, trying to bury herself in the snow as if she could hide; Kristoff laughed, reaching down and picking the little calf up, draping her across his companion's back, before climbing on himself. Then wrapping his arm around his lost daughter's pet, he kicked Sven on, cantering back towards Arendelle.

* * *

"Nearly there!" Anna cried out, looked almost excited at the prospect of getting revenge for her sister. No, not excited; exhilirated. "I've been thinking... you know you gave me some magic..."

Elsa mumbled something unintelligable and Anna turned her head around for the briefest of moments, recoiling a little when she saw how petrified her sister looked with her paler-than-normal skin, wide and darkened eyes and somewhat sweaty brow. The princess' heart sank and she had to jerk her head away reluctantly to actually see where she was going, but it was no easy feat.

"I... I don't know what to say, Elsa..." Anna fumbled with her words, nervously. "I promise you, I won't let him get away with this."

Elsa nodded slowly, a stray tear trickling down her cheek and then freezing up as she recalled saying exactly the same thing to Odd, or whoever the Odd impersonator was. She had promised that she would not let Heidi's death go unpunished. And whether it hurt her or not, she was not one to break her word.

"Neither will I."

* * *

Kristoff frowned as he cantered across the top of the hills, squinting his eyes and making out the distinct shape of two horses—chunky fjord horses, he quickly noted—not too far away.

"Hey, Bud..." he began, leaning accross the reindeer's neck and taking a little comfort from the familiar smell. "Is it just me, or does that look remarkably like Anna and Elsa?"

Sven's head, previously stretched forwards as he focused on literally nothing but his run, snapped upwards as he skidded to a stop, looking about swiftly before he snorted in response. Kristoff grinned before he patted his friend's side, then tightening his grip on Lysse and urging Sven to gallop off in the opposite direction, slightly off-course for home as he chased after his targets.

* * *

Though she had had plenty of warning that he was coming—along with Lysse's high pitched shrieks and Sven's heavy panting and thundering hoofbeats, they'd been easy enough to hear—Anna couldn't help but gasp a little in shock as her husband came barelling up to her side. "Kristoff!" she yelled, her face unusually cheerless, even by the current standard. "Why are you out here!"

Quickly speeding up for the last few metres so as to catch up with his wife and sister-in-law, Kristoff was quick to pick up on the obviousness of how tense Anna looked, as if she was anticipating something, and how Elsa's eyes were shining with both determination and worry.

"What's happened? What's wrong?" he asked, his wife's question completely brushed aside. His own query immediately brough about a reaction too; the princess jerked her head over at her sister warily, justifiable uncertain as to what she could say. But Elsa only sighed and nodded shortly, looking away in shame. There was no point in hiding things; it would only confuse the situation.

"It's Odd." Anna said, gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes. "He's... He's an impostor. That's why he's been acting so strangely."

Kristoff frowned.

"What? Where on earth did that come from?" he blurted, shocked. "Sure, he's been a bit strange, but that doesn't mean he's suddenly a whole new person."

Anna took a breath, kicking Misty on faster as the gates to the kingdom drew ever nearer. "It's not him."

* * *

Odd watched quietly from the window as the royals approached, grinning to himself as he spared a glance back at the bed. For just a moment he couldn't help but wonder if he'd made a mistake in doing what he'd done, caught up in his own lust; he soon dismissed his worries, however, not too bothered by the threat of a meager woman. Queen or not, he was still superior. However, a quick glance at the princess did make him snarl a little, his eyes narrowing.

"Shit," he muttered, pushing away from the window and jumping up. "That witch looks dangerous."

Clenching his fists, he spun around, well aware of the princess' foolish lack of restraint when it came to those who angered her. His hand smashed against the bottle of ink as he walked briskly from the room, the dark blue liquid spilling over his half-written letter.

And then he fled, wanting to get some distance so that the wild and untamed woman could have a chance to simmer down.

* * *

"There he goes!" Anna's cry was so loud that her lungs burnt and she threw her hand to the west and then her finger landed upon a galloping horse, upon whose back a man with hair of brown sat stiffly. Misty, shocked by her own rider's sudden outcry, gave a bellow of her own; in the distance, Brandy Shot's head spun around as he momentarily faltered. And, as he turned his head around, Odd's previous determination dissolved as he developed a new fear in his expression.

Recieving a sharp boot to her sides, Misty squealed as she shot forwards, galloping after the man with gasps, her hooves smashing against the cobblestone ground in synchronisation with High Flyer and Sven. A few seconds later a howl, seemingly mournful but the royals knew better, also resounded around the castle; Seier came bouncing over immediately, yipping excitedly until he saw his mother's determined expression. His tail then ceasing to wag, he darted his eyes about quickly until they landed upon the man up ahead and his ears flattened, his teeth bared as he growled.

"Seier! Go on, boy; catch him!" Anna shouted, her heart soaring as the wolf looked up to her, interested. "Fetch!"

Seier was still for less than a breath's time before he leapt into action, making funny little guttural barks as he galloped after his prey. Odd immediately panicked as any sane man would with a wolf chasing him; slapping Brandy Shot's flank with his whip with a resounding crack, he gave a yell as the horse reared, absolutely terrified. Then proceeding to buck, Odd yelped as his mount threw himself all over, soon succeeding in dislodging the man from his back and sending him crashing to the icy floor with a spine-tingling thud. Seier, of course, leapt upon his immediately, his saliva almost dripping down onto Odd's forehead. Anna couldn't help but cringe slightly, but still she pushed Misty forward.

"Back off, Seier," she commanded, her voice slightly too quick, and the wolf, whose razor sharp teeth had been but inches away from Odd's throat, whined. "Back _off_!" she repeated, her voice more firm now; begrudgingly the snarling canine obliged, though his claws scraped across Odd's face for good measure and effectively slashing the healing scars on his face.

"Here, brother in law," Anna said as she hopped down, offering her hand down to the man on the ground and he took it gratefully. She smiled at him stiffly, her eyes narrowed as she gave him easily the most terrifying grimace he would ever see. "I am so sorry," she said, her voice sounding almost perfectly sincere—but there was still a slight edge to it.

"Thank you, Anna," the man said, smiling with thin lips as he eyed her suspiciously; she just smiled back, then reaching her hand up to his cheek. Softly she touched the newly bleeding cuts on his face, even amazing herself at her control.

"That looks like it hurts, Odd," she said, brushing her finger across the wound and revelling in his pain as he flinched.

He nodded, then muttering, "Like shit."

She grinned even wider and her eyes sparkled happily as she drew her hand back slightly. A moment later her eyes suddenly hardened, her first shooting forwards and connecting right with the bridge of the man's nose. "I bet that hurts even more now," she snarled, then proceeding to slap his cheek. Her anger finally releasing itself, she lost the control she'd worked for before, bringing her first back and connecting with his chest, making him groan as he doubled over.

Having accomplished the attacks in less than a few seconds, Anna grinned as she backed up and then looked over to her sister, grinning; a second later she screamed, feeling a heavy hand snap around her wrist. Squirming she writhed to escape the man's grip, but to no avail; for just a second she thought she was doomed, watched in slow motion as Odd's arm swung to slap her too—and then, from the corner of her eye, she saw the snarling mass of grey fur tearing through the air, landing heavily on Odd and pushing his heavily to the floor, forcing him to release his grip.

Seier's tail wagged continuously as Elsa came forward, her hands trembling as she took a deep breath, encasing his feet in blocks of ice. The man immediately yelled, writhing.

"Get them off me!" he yelled, his arms flailing as he attempted—unsuccessfuly—to land a blow. Seier only growled louder and lowered his muzzle, opening his jaws and gently resting his canines on Odd's skin. He, of course, swallowed immediately, eyes widening as he lowered his head to the ground in a useless attempt to escape the fangs. Then, in a lower voice, he hissed, "You'll give me frostbite, you witch!"

Elsa took a small breath in, her heart missing a beat at the insult, but she tried her best to calm her mind, crossing her arms across her chest. "Watch the language around the baby, Odd!" she whispered with a harsh but quivering voice, sending a well aimed kick to his groin area; Kristoff, watching close by, winced for him.

"Come on, Seier. Take him inside for me, good boy. Bed! Go to bed, boy!" Anna whispered, patting the wolf's head. Seier then gave a small yip as he leapt up quickly and licked Anna's chin, missing her cheek, and then he dug his teeth deep into the flesh of the man's side and forced him to lumber inside, taking great pleasure as his prey howled in pain.

"So, Elsa." Anna said once Seier was out of sight, turning to the queen with a victorious grin. "What do you reckon would be a suitable punishment for him?"

* * *

**Firstly, in response to KLime's review (guest), horses can, in fact, gallop downhill. Granted it isn't easy for them to do at all, but it isn't impossible - if you've ever watched cross country races, they often have steep downhill parts where the horses have to run down before they make a jump. When I was describing Misty galloping downhill, ****because it was snowy, she would have been skidding down some of it anyway, and thus would have been able to sort of... slide and gallop a few strides, then keep doing that. I hope that explains things.**

**Secondly, I'm not really sure if Anna not realising things at first makes her stupid. I mean, would you really believe that your friend, for example, would be an impostor just because they were acting off, even if, in Odd's case, he was very off. Most people would probably assume they'd misjudged him badly at first, because it isn't often you find someone who looks _exactly_ like someone else.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I didn't get many reviews for the last update, so please, please, leave a comment this time!**

**For a challenge, what do you want to happen to Odd? The best punishment will be included in the story.**

**Hopefully this will be a good challenge - you know I didn't get as many reviews again :( Please review... the more you guys review, the worse Odd's end punishment will be!**

**Have a great few days until the next update,**

**-SG**


	25. Chapter 25 - dedicated to OmegaMarker

_**"Come on, Seier. Take him inside for me, good boy. Bed! Go to bed, boy!" Anna whispered, patting the wolf's head. Seier then gave a small yip as he leapt up quickly and licked Anna's chin, missing her cheek, and then he dug his teeth deep into the flesh of the man's side, leading him inside with great pleasure as his prey howled in pain.**_

_**"So, Elsa." Anna said once Seier was out of sight, turning to the queen with a victorious grin. "What do you reckon would be a suitable punishment for him?"**_

* * *

The man writhed against his bonds as the large wolf at his head growled warningly, sharp white teeth bared. Anna bent down, quickly smoothing her pet's head as she crossed her arms, glaring at her prey who, by now, hung from his feet from the ceiling, his shirt falling down slightly and revealing the bloodied bandage which wrapped his side.

"Let's start off easy," she hissed, then glancing at Elsa, waiting for some affirmation to continue. The queen, however, only shook her head, then turning to the man, her eyes as sharp as the large icicle which sprung up from the ground, stopping a few metres below the man's head.

"What's your name, then?" she said with an only slightly wavering voice; the man immediately folded his arms, looking away as if he were a child.

"I am not answering a single question until you let me down from here!" he snapped. "I can't think straight with all the blood rushing to my head!"

"You don't need to think for that, idiot," Anna bit out as Seier snarled once again, lunging forwards until his mother's hand latched onto his scruff, jerking him back. Kristoff then slackened his grip on the rope tied around Odd's feet momentarily, his brows furrowed as he did so; instantaneously the man yelped, the sharp ice below him suddenly rushing closer to his head.

"_Fine, fine_!" he gasped, desperately squirming to escape the dagger of ice below him. Seier immediately gave a short yip, jumping forwards as Anna's grip slackened and nipping warningly at his hand, his fangs easily slashing through the tender skin, drawing blood. The man, of course, recoiled as best as he could and lashed out, rage in his voice as he hissed, "Get that bloody wolf away from me! Control him!"

Anna's eyes flashed as she studied the man momentarily, then patting her leg and calling, in a rather unenthusiastic voice, for Seier to get away. He only sat down, looking in her direction and whining, then fixating his gaze once more on his prey—and Anna made no further attempt to pull him off, quite content with the close proximity between the two.

"Answer the question," she snapped loudly, narrowing her eyes as the temperature in the room fell a few degrees, undoubtedly by Elsa's accidental doing.

"Dagvin," he snapped, rubbing his arms as his hairs stood on end, not having been given the luxury of a cloak. Kristoff, displeased with this answer, only huffed, allowing the rope to slip a little more, drawing a rather satisfying yelp. "Argh! It's Anderson. Dagvin Anderson."

"Better," Elsa said, feeling just the slightest confidence at the sight of the man so helpless. "Kristoff, put him down for a minute. I'll thaw the ice."

"What?"

"Just do it. We don't want to kill him."

Anna huffed, turning away from her sister and frowning. "I wouldn't mind," she hissed, then turning her gaze to the man as she grinned a little. "Leave him there for a few hours, and he'll surely get a brain haemorrhage..."

Dagvin shuddered at the picture, struggling even more; though the sight of him looking so terrified actually made Elsa feel a little better, she still glared at her sister, then nodding to Kristoff as she thawed the ice. For a moment, she even felt slightly sickened by her own actions as she watched Dagvin struggling as he lay on the floor—but it wasn't long before she began to forget the remorseful thoughts, instead favouring vengeful ones.

"Okay, time's up," she commanded after a minute or so, prompting Kristoff to hurriedly pull Dagvin back up, grunting as he struggled with the ropes, quickly aided by Anna, though her contribution was not overly great.

"Next question," Elsa said as she carefully shot up a second icicle, considering her options on what to ask of him. It wasn't too long before something, though perhaps irrelevant, occurred to her. "Did you really get slashed by an eagle?"

Dagvin snarled, his eyes focused dutifully on the wolf whose muzzle, by now, was almost close enough to touch. "No." he admitted, watching the canine carefully and yelping as Anna began to speak out, an action which made Seier snap at his nose quickly before realising the tone had not been malicious.

"What on earth was the point of lying then?" she snapped, quickly making a few kissing noises to draw Seier back. Dagvin, able to do nothing but watch as a little blood trickled down his face and into the corner of his already injured eye, was quick to respond, though his voice was ever bitter and reluctant.

"I had scars already. I had my face slashed to hide them."

Stunned for just a second, Elsa was quick to shake off her shock as she continued, her own confidence growing. "Right. Well, onto some more serious questions. We may as well start with the obvious one, so... why were you posing to be my husband?"

Dagvin shook his head, his messy hair—so close to Odd's—flying about his head as he dangled. "You won't kill me. I might know things that you need." he said, a grin plastered upon his face. "You'll have to try better than that, but I'm not going to talk."

Elsa frowned, considering this point before shrugging slightly. "You do know," she began, "that if Prince Kristoff was to get annoyed, his hands could get sweaty. Just think... One little, uncontrolled slip for you to be split in half."

Dagvin snarled, his new found confidence seemed to be going to his head as he snapped back, "I still won't speak. If I'm dead, what good am I to you?"

"How should we know, though?" Elsa continued, tentatively stepping a little closer. "What information can you have that is worth your life?"

"Perhaps I know something about your little princess?" he began, looking towards Anna and grinning as she recoiled, her eyes widening as her lips parted slightly. Elsa, too, drew back a little, but then she regained her composure—or some of it, at least.

"Have it your way," she said, waving her hand and letting the icicle thaw away. A second later she watched with vengeful glee as the man wince, trembling uncomfortably as a rope of ice began to trail out from under his pants. "Kristoff? Would you loosen the hold on Dagvin's ankles, please?" Her voice was sweet and Anna's face morphed into a smile as she watched, Kristoff wincing as he did as commanded; the reaction was immediate, and the man gasped as he slipped downwards a bit. Most of the pressure was, admittedly, still on his ankles—but from the expression he now wore he could certainly feel an additional, rather painful pressure elsewhere.

"Argh!" he groaned, squirming. "Let me go!"

Elsa scowled, her resolve to break the stubborn man even more resolute. "Will you talk, now?" she asked, but the only response she received was Dagvin looking away from her stubbornly, despite the pain he was undoubtedly in. Elsa only sighed, turning her back and stepping towards the door. "Have it your way. Kristoff? Please tie the rope loosely up, and we'll come back in ten minutes or so. We'll see what he thinks then."

Anna nodded shortly as she called for Seier, kissing to him at the same time. Then scratching just behind his ears, she gave Dagvin a vicious, almost carnivorous smile and then turned, entwining her arm with her husband's. The thought of news on Mia was so precious to her that she couldn't help but feel a little giddy with excitement, not quite considering that the 'something' the man may or may not have known could have been devastating. "Come on, Kris," she said, all but skipping on the spot. Her husband only chuckled as he left, following quickly as he was dragged along, though he did spare a somewhat sympathetic glance towards the man.

"You're impossible, Feistypants," he teased, pulling her a little closer as he stopped her from sprinting off. "You even scare me sometimes."

Anna laughed a little. "No, I'm not," she said with a beam, much too happy for the situation. "I can just stand up for myself. And, honestly, I really hate fakers. He reminds me of Hans, now that I know what's actually going on, and it really makes my blood boil. And he deserves a good slap."

Elsa smiled a little as she nodded curtly to the guards situated outside the door, gratefully accepting a candle from the younger. Holding it up high, she then turned to the couple and let out a breath of relief, released the fear which she wasn't aware had built up. "Thanks, Sis," she whispered, and though the words were quiet Anna still smiled, having heard the Queen's words.

* * *

Dagvin groaned, feeling his vision go blurry once again. He clenched his fists, struggling to raise himself up so that his head was higher than his heart but to no avail; especially with the addition of the new pressure, he was incapable of moving without causing himself great discomfort. And, despite how weak and pathetic it made him feel, he couldn't help but be slightly relieved when the queen, princess and prince returned, placing him down so that he had a moment's relief.

"Now, Dagvin," Elsa began as she stepped into the room, treading as close to the man as she dared. "Will you answer my questions yet?"

"Now, Elsa," he bit out, his eyes shining with loathing and his tone so cold that it sent shivers down the queen's spine. "Will you let me down if I do?"

Shocked slightly, Elsa paused for a moment before folding her arms over her small bump. "Perhaps," she said, looking away; Dagvin only huffed, gritting his teeth together.

"No, then," he snapped and Elsa sighed, not having expected him to be so stubborn. Then walking over to her sister, she whispered something in the younger woman's ear before returning her attention to Dagvin, who was still being eyed up by the wolf who sat, rather stiffly as if ready to pounce, by his head.

"Stay, Seier." Elsa commanded, fashioning an icy lead to pull him back to her, then bending down and scratching under his chin. "Just wait for a bit, boy."

The wolf whined but he stayed where he was, his amber eyes resting solely on his prey as he flicked his tail very slowly, focused, just as Anna returned with a cup of golden-orange liquid in her hands. With an only slightly strained smile Elsa quickly accepted the glass, the distinctive smell of rum reaching her nose and making her cringe slightly—she'd never been much of a fan of the drink. Wine was, to her, much more palatable.

Walking over to Dagvin, she motioned for Kristoff to let him down before gesturing him to come over. Doing so immediately, he then bent down and secured a hold on the man's shoulders, all but sitting on top of him as Elsa bent down and placed the cup to his lips.

"Come on," she whispered, pressing the cup to his lips more forcibly. "It's not poison. Just drink it already!"

Dagvin glowered at her and bucked, struggling to escape from Kristoff's heavy grip, but not succeeding. His struggles only increased as Kristoff then forced his mouth open, an icy funnel being placed in so that the rum could be poured. Once again he struggled, writhing as the liquid forced its way down his throat and then he began to sputter, coughing enough so as to make the queen recoil. Then taking advantage of her new position he began to buck once again, squirming and writhing and throwing his body about until, with a fairly loud slap, he managed to strike Elsa's leg with his own, sending her wheeling back quickly as she gave a small cry of pain, though she soon regained her composure.

"Get him back up there, Kristoff," she bit out, her eyes now dangerously grey in colour, losing their pale blue tint. "We aren't going to get anywhere with him. I was hoping if he drank enough rum, he'd get drunk and spill some secrets, but despite what he... what he did to me, I will not stoop down to his level and torture him."

"I don't know about you, but I'd count this as torture." Dagvin snapped, wincing as the icy rope from before reformed. Elsa only glared at him as he glanced in her direction.

"It's punishment." she said, her expression steely. "If you were being tortured you'd be screaming about now."

"So," Kristoff interjected before Dagvin could speak, grunting as he clambered off of the struggling man and began to hoist him back upwards. "What are you going to do, then? Surely you aren't just going to let him go? We need to know what's going on... But one of the maids—that pretty one with the black hair—who was looking after Arne said he's better now. Well, almost—but she promised he'll be fine in a day or two max, so long as he stops being a pain and trying to play."

With Anna scowling at the mention of a pretty woman and immediately brushing up against her husband's side, Elsa nodded. "I know. We'll go and see him later. But at any rate, I want the real Odd back and Arne can't help with that—but I have no idea where to look without a lead. So, I guess I'll just get the guards to deal with him. They can interrogate him and get the information. Whether _they_ want to use more... extreme methods, is their choice, but as long as we get something useful then I'll be satisfied."

Anna, whose face was beginning to turn the exact colour of beetroot, quickly turned tail and walked out of the room, pausing outside and leaning up against the wall, sighing. "So, Elsa," she said, smoothing down the creases on her dress as she waited, . "Have you decided what to do about Corona yet?"

The queen stopped for a second, thinking to herself before a revelational thought registered in her brain. Glancing back to Dagvin quickly, she then strode out of the cell hastily—thanking the guards as she did so—and caught up with her sister, nodding once.

"I think I have." she said, her voice a little quiet before she looked up more confidently, her eyes suddenly filled with flames. "I... I don't want to condemn my men to die, but there's no other choice now. I really don't think there is any other option, unless I'm going to let all of our family die."

"Huh? I think I'm a little lost, Elsa."

Elsa took a deep breath and adjusted her crown slightly on her head, standing a little straighter though a few small tears began to form in the corner of her eyes. "We are going to war against the Southern Isles. And we'll destroy them."

* * *

Arne stood up, watching Mia skipping and dancing around happily. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that the girl wasn't real—the way her body blurred out at the edges proved that—but he couldn't seem to accept this, and saw her as being normal.

"Come on, Arne!" the illusion whispered joyfully to him, beckoning him over as she stepped up onto the window ledge. She quickly turned her finger downwards, staring at the courtyard below. "Look at this!"

Arne quickly rushed over, holding on to the edge of the window with his hand. Mia only laughed, her glee shrill and high pitched, and Arne frowned slightly as the image of the girl began to fade out.

"Jump, Arne!" she said, laughing as she took a step forwards—but somehow appeared to walk back so that she was stood on air. "I'll catch you! It's fun!"

Watching her flickering body, Arne finally snapped out of the illusion, coming to accept at last that the girl before him wasn't real. Perhaps he had even known all along—but he had certainly not been able to respond. "Jump, Arne!" the illusion girl called with a giggle, but the boy began to back up slightly, whimpering.

"Get away! Get away!" he yelled, swatting the air, but his hand simply passed through her body. The girl grinned, and then morphed with a gentle whistle into a strong gust of air, her pathetic body gone.

Arne groaned as the wind smashed into his chest, sending him stumbling backwards a bit. Then feeling himself at the window her gave a full bodied scream, but he could not stop himself as he toppled over the edge of the window.

Screaming once more, tears streamed down the toddler's face as he desperately grabbed on with his hand, searthing to find a way to grip on the stone wall with his feet, fumbling for a latch. But he could only groan as he struggled, his fingers rapidly slipping under his weight until, as if he were an angel earning his wings, a single magpie's feather floated down, landing on his shoulder with no warning—and, petrified as he was, it was enough to startle him.

As he fell, he gave another deafening howl, screaming as he plummetted down the brick wall. But incredulously, not a single person nearby even flinched.

They could not hear it.

But he heard the crash as his body slammed against the cobble—but he did not feel the pain.

He hadn't even lasted long enough to recognise it.

* * *

**Okay, so I'm sure some of you are going to be trying to reach through the computer screen and stab me, but please be nice! I didn't want to kill Arne! I really didn't!**

**I'm so sorry... please don't kill me!**

**A massive thank you for all the punishment ideas. I've included a couple, and will be using a few more in passing in one of the next chapters.**

**Please review! As a challenge, try to think of a foreign stereotypical item / trait (e.g. French baguette, German beer, British top hats, etc) The most inventive and unusual one will be included in the following chapters! So try to make them really crazy, and add some weirdness to the story!**

**-SG**


	26. Chapter 26 - dedicated to Pabulover123

**_As he fell, he gave another deafening howl, screaming as he plummetted down the brick wall. But incredulously, not a single person nearby even flinched._**

**_They could not hear it._**

**_But he heard the crash as his body slammed against the cobble—but he did not feel the pain._**

**_He hadn't even lasted long enough to recognise it._**

* * *

The two women hurried after the briskly walking guard as they traversed the corridors of the castle, their hands entwined tightly. The elder's long nails dug into the fair skin of her companion as she fought the urge to simply crumple to the floor; the younger merely kept her gaze forwards, her lips drawn thin as her eyes, wider than should have even been humanely possible, glistened with tears.

Neither could help the gasps which came as their eyes landed upon the floor of Arendelle castle's cobbled courtyard just a little way off. The great circle of blood, though washed off already by the brave maids and servants who had taken it upon themselves to do so, as well as obscured by the thick grey air, still left an unmissable stain on the brick—would do, perhaps, for at least a few days.

"I'm so sorry, Your Highnesses," the guard said, his voice incredibly strong though he looked more than a little shaken. "We don't know exactly what happened, and the maid whose shift it was to care for the kid doesn't either. She only left him to get a glass of milk."

Elsa stilled for a minute as she folded her shaking hands, her eyes narrowing. "She left a child in a room all on his own? With absolutely no supervision?" Glancing down at the stain accidentally, she then jerked her gaze away as her breath caught momentarily. "And with the window left open, no doubt!"

"She claimed not, your Majesty. She swore that it had been closed, and locked as well."

"Locked? What rubbish!" Elsa's eyes flickered with icy flames as she clenched her fists, feeling her mind go dizzy momentarily. Breathing deeply as she fought to steady herself, having to place an arm on her strangely quiet sister's shoulder, she then focused her glare upon the guard as a droplet of water splashed on her forehead. "How would a two year old be able to reach high enough to unlock it?"

The guard shook his head and then looked at his feet, fiddling with the edge of his uniform's jacket. "I don't know, your Majesty. I'm just relaying the maid's claims; she's really in no state to talk with you."

"Perhaps I should just send a message back to her, then, if she can't talk, to say that I'll be firing her. It's sheer incompetence, not to mention-"

"Woah, woah! What happened?" Kristoff's voice intersected Elsa's as he galloped forwards across the courtyard on Sven, draping the sac he'd been carrying across the stag's back. Frowning in puzzlement as he then glanced around, looking up to the sky at one point and recoiling as a few droplets from above landed on his cheek and nose, he remained quiet for a minute; it only took a few seconds for him to find the bloody cobblestone, though, and he cringed, slipping from the reindeer's back and draping an arm across his damp wither. "Please tell me that's not..."

Anna whimpered, rushing forwards and gripping onto her husband's free arm. "It's Arne, Kristoff," she said, brushing up a little closer to him, even his warmth not enough to soothe her trembling. "He fell from the window—or jumped, we d-don't really know."

"What?"

"Arne's gone, Kristoff! He's dead, not gonna wake up!" Anna moaned as she hung her head, gripping Kristoff's shirt as droplets splashed down upon her neck. One at a time they fell, suddenly falling steadily harder as tears welled up in the princess' eyes. "Arne's dead, and I never got to even ask him about Mia either!"

For a few moments the group remained quiet, standing still before the heavens opened up above; the drizzling rain suddenly becoming mournful along with the royals, the water plummeted down to the earth and smashed against the people. But the women only remained where they stood, the younger trembling as the cold soaked her through, too shaken to move; the elder sister kept still as well, but soon began to turn away sluggishly at the Guard's urging. Kristoff, too, pushed his bedraggled wife towards the castle, Sven urging her along as well as he danced on the spot, whining as his coat stuck to his sides.

By the time they'd gotten inside, Anna was completely frozen, quivering and trembling and moaning very quietly, though she did not seem too distressed in herself—if anything, she appeared almost detached. Still, Elsa was quick to take her from her husband, leading her down to the largest lounge where the fireplace was largest. And then, as he watched his wife be led off, Kristoff groaned and buried his head in his hands, leaning up against the wall and pounding his fist against it gently.

Arne wasn't stupid; he'd never have jumped, and to think that he could have fallen seemed improbable too. And a little voice in the back of his mind couldn't help but make him wonder, was that all there was to it?

* * *

Kristoff looked up slowly as the door creaked open, stiffening momentarily before he recognised the outline of his wife, standing in the doorway with her dressing gown wrapped tightly around her slender frame.

"Hey, Kris," she whispered, her voice shaking. Her eyes were swollen and red, her cheeks flushed. "I went to our room, but you weren't there... obviously... and..." She shook her head, wiping her eyes and walking over to her husband slowly, pausing as she stood next to him, faltering. Kristoff then reached up, placing his hands upon her waist and pulling her down to sit on his lap, softly brushing her soft ginger hair with his fingers, distracting himself.

"Couldn't you sleep?" she asked, her voice a little unclear as it shook, the words unsteady. "You look shattered."

Kristoff nodded. "I've just been distracted. I mean..." He paused, rubbing the back of his neck, wondering how to explain himself. "Well, I've been thinking, and... things just don't seem right. Something... something happened with Arne. He wouldn't have just jumped out of the window himself."

A tear leaked out of Anna's eyes and she nodded as she settled, leaning back so that she lay against him. "You're right," she agreed, fiddling with the diamond ring on her finger. "I wish we knew what really happened, but... there isn't anything we can do to find out." She sighed, her mind wandering to everything that had happened recently. The missing villagers, still not found. Mia's kidnapping, still lacking details. Odd's disappearance, still a mystery.

And now, Arne's death, so strange, so dismaying.

Kristoff looked out the window again, and Anna's eyes trailed quickly after.

"When the sun rises, we'll go to the trolls. They'll be able to give us some clue, I'm sure." He frowned as he spoke, thinking back to his childhood years. "They're good at finding the truth, see. So, maybe—just maybe, though—they can lend us a hand."

* * *

Mia wriggled around in her bed, moaning in her sleep, her duvet laying forgotten on the floor. A layer of sweat shone on her forehead, her bleach blonde hair was stuck to her cheeks. Her nightdress, too, clung to her body, and she squirmed around again, kicking out and swatting the air with her small, dainty hands.

A pair of large, bright green eyes glinted in the cold blackness, shining with hatred, malice and a sick, twisted, dastardly pleasure, as the sharp sound of a sword being unsheathed from its holster echoed around the dark cave of nothingness. The silver sliced through the scene, a blur as it fell, and the bright white of teeth could just be made out through the shadows.

She awoke with a start, crying out and breathing deeply, gasping for breath as she sobbed very quietly, pulling up her legs to her chest. She'd been having the same dream—no, nightmare—repeatedly during her stay in the Southern Isles, and it always seemed so real. So very, very real.

Wiping away the tears, Mia whimpered to herself as she curled up into a ball, laying on the bed quietly for a few minutes and shivering. Finding herself incapable of calming she then slowly clambered up and, on wobbly little legs, she tottered over to the window, leaning against the sill and gazing out across the sleeping kingdom.

Looking out at the sun, the very fine first rays peeking over the horizon sneakily, she tried to focus on the warmth which always came with the sight and settle her rapid breaths. But no amount of struggling could help; she simply couldn't shake away the memory of those eyes. She knew she'd seen them somewhere before, they were just so familiar... At first she'd linked them to her Uncle Odd's eyes, but she'd quickly come to the conclusion that it couldn't possibly be right; he was sweet and kind and besides, his eyes were brighter anyway.

Still, though, she'd been away from her home for nearly three months now. It hurt, but a part of her had even begun to forget what her own family looked like. Was it her mother who always wore her hair in plaited pigtails, or her aunt? Did her father have brown hair, or was that her uncle?

She placed her head in her hands, whimpering. After everything she'd been through her memories were blurry. Of course, she was still so young; she didn't recall many events from the past, but when she thought hard enough, she could, just about, remember her family.

They had always been so special to her, but now... Now she was losing them.

Glancing back out of the window, she sighed. She was scared to go home—terrified, even. She couldn't help but think that she'd done something wrong, although what exactly she had done, she still could not decipher. For many evenings, after another yet nightmare, she would lay awake thinking about what had happened, and she had begun to feel skeptical as to whether she was, in fact, being punished, or if something more sinister was going on. At any rate, whatever was happening, something just didn't feel right.

Though she didn't want to go home, she wasn't sure what she felt about staying in the Southern Isles either. The kingdom had done her a great favour in rescuing her, and all of the people here had welcomed her very warmly, even if only a few of them could speak her language. All of the royalty could, though, and the strange woman—Ayla—seemed to be able to as well. She enjoyed spending time with the people here, and one of the princes even had a daughter her age, who was fairly fun to play with. But... things just weren't the same.

She just didn't feel like she belonged.

Standing up from her window-seat, Mia toddled over to the miniature arm chair that was located for her in the corner of her room. Climbing up, she then curled into a small ball with her head resting on the arm and whimpered again, fiddling with her soaked hair as a few salty tears only made its state worse.

"I don't like here," she whispered sadly to herself, a part of her wishing that someone would hear her, the other half scared as to what would happen if they did. "I miss Mama, Papa. My Mama and Papa. I don't like here."

Letting her tear-blurred vision trail over to the walls, Mia whined as she then let her gaze drift up to the ceiling where a beautiful painting of angels stared back at her. Their little faces, chubby like her own, were all so happy and carefree, all smiling; she couldn't help but feel a heavy pang of jealousy towards them. She didn't care what she had done to get sent to the caves, where she had been tortured. She didn't even care for all of the care the Southern Isles was lavishing upon her, their best intentions only making her feel bitter.

"I just want go home..."

Curling up even tighter in the chair, the poor child cried for a little while more before eventually, after what was surely the longest wait she'd ever experienced, she fell back into a fitful sleep constantly plagued by the nightmares; images of cold green eyes and devastatingly sharp blades, so very familiar to the exhibited roman swords Hans had shown her the day before, flickered in and out of her mind, only broken up by the equally tormenting snippets of the torture she'd experienced just a few weeks before.

* * *

**First, in response to , I understand why you'd want that, and let me tell you this; it may just happen sooner than you think! ;)**

**Secondly, ah! I've now had multiple people threatening to track me down if I stop writing... okay, okay, you win! I'll keep going!  
**

**Now, I hope you liked this chapter! Mia's finally beginning to feel unsure about the idea of being punished... Hopefully she'll come to understand the truth soon, before she does anything bad out of fear!**

**Thank you to the idea of the roman sword from A Foolish Fool. It was a cool idea!**

**So, for a challenge, leave your favourite (real, living) animal in a review, and I'll include it in the next chapter! Who knows, there could be an elephant swimming the channel across to Arendelle or the Southern Isles sometime soon!**

**-SG**


	27. Chapter 27 - dedicated to A Foolish Fool

**_"I just want go home..."_**

**_Curling up even tighter in the chair, the poor child cried for a little while more before eventually, after what was surely the longest wait she'd ever experienced, she fell back into a fitful sleep constantly plagued by the nightmares; images of cold green eyes and devastatingly sharp blades, so very familiar to the exhibited roman swords Hans had shown her the day before, flickered in and out of her mind, only broken up by the equally tormenting snippets of the torture she'd experienced just a few weeks before._**

* * *

"Your Majesty. Might I have a word?"

Elsa looked up slowly to find a guard stood in the doorway, waiting patiently for her to allow him to continue. She was hardly presentable, at least not by a queen's standards; her hair was messy and her forehead was creased with worry, lips thinned. She'd awoken to find Anna and Kristoff missing and, even though a servant boy had long before informed her that they had gone to visit the trolls, she couldn't help but worry; after the death of Arne, a large shroud of darkness had fallen over the kingdom of Arendelle. His passing had been so sudden, so unexpected, and whilst under royal care to boot, that naturally everyone knew about it, and all had their own suspicions about the circumstances, too.

"I have an update on the situation with the prisoner, Ma'am," the guard said once he'd received confirmation to speak, his face severe. The news did, admittedly, spark Elsa's curiosity, though she was in such a somber mood that the feeling of intrigue made no attempt to play upon her face. "It would seem that there is a lot we still do not know. Unfortunately, he was very... Devoted to his cause. We returned this morning to continue his interrogation, but he'd suffocated himself with his chains. The night guards didn't even hear a struggle."

Elsa was quiet for a moment, unresponsive, before she recoiled a second later and took a sharp intake of breath, it catching in her throat as she let her gaze fall to her lap. Trying to settle her breathing, she could only focus on one thought; she had locked him up—she had killed him.

"That's... that's terrible," she whispered, looking away from the guard for just a moment before returning her gaze to the man, sitting up straighter as she tried to regain some composure. "Nevertheless, these are circumstances out of our control. Did you... What information have you managed to uncover?"

The guard paused slightly as if trying to decide how to structure his response. "Well, we managed to get some details about the situation with Princess Mia, though vague ones at that. It would seem she is alive and well, although very traumatised after what she's been through—or so we assume."

Elsa's lips, already thin, changed into a mere line as her frown widened. "What's she been through?" she asked quickly, but she was not at all stupid; from the guard's uncomfortable expression, the truth was obvious, and it only affirmed the previous theories—the cave with the blood and the ice, for example.

"I can go if you'd like, your Majesty? Perhaps take control of this situation myself? I'm sure it's tough on you..."

Elsa was hasty to reply, shaking her head as she quickly called out, "No, no, no." Once again she'd lost her composure, but there was little she could do now to reclaim it. "I must take charge of this. What else can you tell me?"

"Your Highness... There is something more, but it is only an inferred theory. Not to mention that it would be rather painful, I am sure."

"I can't be hurt any more than I already am," Elsa quickly supplied, a slight sigh creeping into her voice. "Please, don't hold back. Every bit of information is precious."

"I... If you insist, your Majesty." The guard paused for a second, taking a deep breath before focusing hardened eyes directly on her. "We overheard the guard mumbling in his sleep. Just a few things—and they were hard to make out."

"And?"

"Well, it was all very confusing, but... Please, your Majesty; take this with a pinch of salt. But as far as we can tell, there's some sort of plot to use Mia's magic against you—and the rest of your family."

Elsa tried not to gasp as she fought to keep herself calm, though her lip quivered momentarily; the guard continued slowly, looking uncomfortable. "We think they may be trying to coerce her onto their side somehow. Turn her against you, make her think you're evil. She's young and hurt; in other words, easy to influence."

Elsa nodded stiffly in understanding, taking a soft breath to calm her fluttering heart. "Okay. Did you... Did you find anything else out about her?"

The guard shook his head, looking down. "I'm sorry, your Majesty, but that's all the information we have at the moment on her case. I've been thinking, though, that it might be a good idea to have some soldiers pay another visit to the cave where we originally found..." He paused, as if trying to decide how to say what he wanted to explain in the most delicate way. "Where we originally found evidence that may have linked to her case."

Elsa sighed. "That's a good idea, Captain," she said, nodding and trying to smile confidently. "I give you permission to take some men to this cave and conduct some research, but I also need to decide how best I can help Corona in this war—for there can't be any escaping it now—as well as finding my husband. I fear he is in trouble."

The guard stiffened a little, taking a small step backwards. "That is completely understandable, your Majesty. And, speaking of such, we have also gained some information, though vague, on Prince Odd's location."

Elsa's eyes, previously dim, lit up with excitement; the Captain could only smile softly at her hopeful expression, though he knew it was not suited for the situation. "We don't know much, I'm afraid. But Dagvin also let slip—with much frustration at himself, it should be noted—that your husband is alive. He mentioned that some 'Southern Isles blokes'—" Here, with a grimace, the captain made small quotation marks with his fingers, "—had better 'give him their best', so we can assume that he may be in the Southern Isles."

Elsa nodded, her mood suddenly plummeting; to know her husband was alive was heavenly news, but by the guard's tone of voice it evidently wasn't all good. She could only imagine what "give him their best" must have meant—and none of her theories ever came to a positive conclusion.

"Captain, please some of your men to search this cave this afternoon. I want you back by nightfall, and be prepared. I don't want any casualties, except anyone who may have been hurting my niece." She took a deep breath and clenched her fists, closing her eyes before letting them snap open, blazing. "A week today, we will leave for the Southern Isles. And we will get this entire mess straightened out once and for all."

* * *

"Don't worry, Anna. Grand Pabbie'll help us, I'm sure." Kristoff said, smiling to his wife a little forcibly as the two cantered through the path to the valley of living rock. Anna only gave a shaky smile in response, nodding as she then slowed her mare down to a gentler trot before stopping her completely, slipping off and landing with a well-disguised stumble.

"I know, Kristoff. Well, I hope."

Kristoff hopped off of Sven, placing his hand on Anna's shoulder in an attempt to calm her as the reindeer trotted up behind her bouncily. Sneaking his face up next to the princess, he then hastened to lick her cheek, making her squeal and jump away from him, knocking her husband over and landing in a heap. Sven watched and bleated in amusement, his tongue lolling out as he trotted forwards, then sunk to the floor and dramatically dropped his head on top of the girl's stomach.

Anna grunted, laughing as she pushed Sven off and rolled from her husband's stomach. Kristoff tickled the reindeer's chin, chuckling.

"Come on," he said, feeling somewhat more confident now. "Let's go."

Anna nodded, skipping back over to her mare and hopping back on, following behind faithfully as she trotted after her husband.

* * *

"Come on, Mia. I know you can do it, Sweetie."

Ayla's words were soft and reassuring and the young child screwed up her eyes in concentration, focusing all of her strength on making the icicles thaw. She'd made them by accident, her confusion too great that the ice had simply sprung up; it was almost as if it came on its own accord.

"Just concentrate, child. Keep concentrating; I know you can do it!"

Mia whimpered quietly as she trembled, the exertion taxing for her young body, and the sorceress who tutored her growled very slightly, her impatience beginning to show through. This, however, went unnoticed by the princess who only moaned slightly as she continued to focus, her face lighting up as she felt the slight tug as small snowflakes began to thaw away. All the while a single memory, an image of the adoring looks she'd received from her true family, playing in her mind.

Letting out a loud sigh, Ayla grinned and stretched a little, her interruption snapping the image from the small child's mind in an instant. The thawed ice sprung back quickly, a cold blast of wind rushing through the room and encompassing everything in a light dusting of cold, brittle snow.

Ayla scowled and clenched her fists, her eyes narrowing as she gritted her teeth; quickly noting her mistake she took a single deep breath in, then letting it go ever so slowly.

"Good progress, little child," she said, turning her head away as she patted Mia's head a little roughly, still frustrated—though, with the sorceress facing the other direction, the child could not tell. "Keep practising."

Standing up from her seat, Ayla stretched out her arms until she heard them click, sighing at the relief. Then briskly walking over to the door, she struggled to resist the urge to storm out as she strode down the corridors and into the largest drawing room—her own personal favourite—collapsing on the sofa and sighing as she sunk into it, the plush material wrapping around her body and easing her tensions.

She relaxed into the sofa, letting her eyes slip shut, exhaustion finally setting in after a long day. She'd spent a vast length of time with the child, at least five or six hours, and yet the little brat had made next to no progress. Admittedly, it had not been a complete waste of her time—she'd managed to thaw those few flakes eventually—but it had, overall, been almost for nothing; attempting to get the girl to use her powers for the cause was impossible if she couldn't control them.

Ayla's hand slipped from it's resting place on her stomach, instead dangling over the edge of the sofa and hanging limply like the arm of a rag doll. She let it remain there, feeling her breathing settle into a calm and repetitive rhythm, her hair spilling across the pillow in waves as she began to slip out of consciousness.

A soft touch on the back of her hand shocked her into alertness; she shot up in a flash, her palm connecting roughly with smooth skin with a satisfying _thwap_. Her eyes then shot open, blue irises blazing in the dark light of the room as she flicked her fingers, the intruder sent flying across the room into the opposite couch.

A familiar grunt met Ayla's ears at that minute, she couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.

"Hans!" she gasped, leaning forwards quickly before slouching back into the sofa, bringing her knee up over her other leg to sit in a more comfortable position, looking to her side for a moment before rolling her eyes and returning her gaze to Hans. "What the hell did you do that for?" She folded her arms, glaring at him in frustration as her momentary sympathy wore off.

Hans rubbed his neck, wincing slightly. "I was just coming to talk to you, so cut it out." He narrowed his eyes, standing up from his crumpled heap and brushing down the suit that he wore. "If you want to remain in my good books, you'd better do what I say."

Ayla smiled, looking as if she'd just been on the receiving end of a rather mediocre joke. "In case you've forgotten, Princey-boy, I think it's more a matter of you staying in my good books. I'm the one with the magic, I'm afraid, and I'm _perfectly_ fine with you betraying me. I'll only... skip off to Arendelle and help them." She made a show of twiddling her fingers in a way which suggested her running off. "It really makes no difference. Whichever side I choose is sure to be the winning side, so unless you really want to risk everything and end up getting your whole country killed, you'd better be nice to me. "

She smiled sweetly, waving her hand so that a poppy blossomed in her palm. She then flicked her wrist and the new bloom drifted over to Hans's shoulder, settling just below his chin before disintegrating slowly, turning to dust. "So, what were you saying, Princey?"

Hans groaned, his lips drawn at the woman's hold over him. "Fine, fine." he bit out, still glaring. "Anyway, I wanted to talk with you. How's it going with Mia? I've got a bad feeling, and I want to be ready if anything does go wrong."

Ayla shook her head, though she frowned at the man's words. "Still nothing. Well, next to nothing. We nearly got somewhere today, but then she mucked up again so it was all for nothing really." She paused, fiddling with her loose hair. "Still, though... If you want snow that badly, I've got it here." She clicked her fingers and Hans gasped as the ends of his hair began to freeze up. He groaned, brushing the ice away.

"Nah. See, you're... a jack of all trades—at least in terms of magic. You've got it all, but her... no matter how much I hate the child, especially considering her parentage, she's still the best at ice magic. Maybe she's not as strong as her aunt at the moment, but she is, or, at least, will be, very powerful in her field—more so than you could ever justifiably be." He grinned at Ayla's slightly annoyed face, knowing full well that she couldn't even deny it. "Besides, she can get close to Queen Elsa and the rest of her family the easiest, at which point she'll be able to attack. She's a kid; she'll be scared, but she won't know it's wrong either."

Ayla sighed. "Yeah, you're right. But... well, I hope you have a backup plan, considering our 'progress' so far."

Hans smiled. "As a matter of fact, I do." He grinned, signalling to a large painting of a Friesian horse on the wall, and Ayla frowned, completely lost. "Queen Elsa could easily make a whole snowman army with a wave of her hand. You can't do that, I'll bet, but I did wonder if there was a way you could get around that."

Ayla paused for a second before grinning; waving her hand, the painting immediately began to move, the horse rearing up onto its back legs and neighing loudly. It then turned its gaze to the room and gave a short whinny, tossing its head before launching out of the painting. The black mane flowed through the air as it jumped, the silky tail floating on the air as the creature landed, pawing at the ground a few times with ears pricked forwards, thick feathers swirling around its hooves.

"What a beautiful mare," Hans muttered with an even wider grin. "A perfect match of grace and strength. They're also very faithful to their handlers. But they're gentle creatures, and that's one flaw in our plan."

Ayla smiled, muttering, "I've got that covered," as she waved her hand. The horse whinnied in terror, a dark fog swirled all around it. She then raised herself up onto her hind legs, front hooves flailing as she let out a terrified scream, the fog settling on her skin and seeping through into her body. Her legs then thickened, not so graceful anymore, as her body morphed into a stronger, more powerful, more sturdy build.

The cries of fear slowly subsided, the mare settling down, and she wasn't the beautiful, graceful Friesian anymore. Instead, a large black horse, similar in build to a Shire, stood in her place, still beautiful but not in the same way. Her coat was a duller shade of black, her eyes now having developed a slight red tint.

Standing there, her large nostrils flaring, she pawed the ground and shook her head again, but this time, the sight was much more threatening, less graceful and clumsier. The mare's enlarged size only made her more intimidating, and Hans grinned.

"Nice trick, Ayla. Now, you'd better perfect it, don't you think?" He grinned as Ayla, only a little out of breath, nodded and reciprocated his glee, smiling back at him as the mare trotted heavily over, rubbing her nose a little forcibly against the sorceress' arm. She laughed, stroking the Shire softly, but quickly drew back when the horse tried to bite her.

"Yeah. I'd better work on my endurance, but bringing a painting to life is much easier than making a unique creation. And besides—" Pausing momentarily to bat the mare away, eyes narrowing as she slapped it's nose and sent it hurtling back into the canvas, she smiled as well. "—it won't be too hard to duplicate it once I've created a perfect beast."

* * *

Anna gasped, dropping down to her knees to wrap her arms around her husband who had already collapsed, trembling.

"W-what... what..." Kristoff stammered, fingers digging into the dirt as he looked up to the trolls around him with wide, disbelieving eyes. Bulda could only look at the man with a sombre frown.

"I know it doesn't seem possible, Kristoff," she said, toddling forwards. "It's not fair, but it's not so bad. In the end, everything will be as it should be." She gave a weak smile and nodded to the rose which bloomed in the clearing, sighing. Kristoff then took a deep breath in, trying to calm himself. "Thanks..." he muttered, standing up shakily. "Come on, Anna. We've got all the info we can get, so we'd better get back."

"But-"

"Don't worry. I'll explain on the way."

As Kristoff gave Anna a hand to climbed up onto her mare, Bulda's weak smile morphed into a frown and she turned her head slightly, studying the flower in the distance, an unknown force drawing her attention. She then smiled, returning her gaze to the two humans who were now galloping away as the yellow rose bud opened very slightly, growing a little more towards the sun.

The flower shone in the light, and a small aurora flickering above the butter-yellow rose. And, not for the first time, the sense of magic that surrounded Grand Pabbie spread throughout the valley.

* * *

**Firstly, the suggestion of a friesian horse made my heart soar! I have three friesians myself, so I couldn't resist including them.**

**I also liked the Golden Tiger idea, but I wasn't sure how to include that... sorry!**

**Sorry this took so long, I've been doing exams the past week so I was tied for time, not to mention I didn't get all that much inspiration last chapter; not many of you reviewed. Call me harsh, but personally, I always find that even if not every chapter, people should leave reviews. The author spent time writing, it doesn't hurt to give back a minute of your own time. That's just my opinion, though; I review most stories I read, but I understand I'm in the minority of people who feel they should. **

**See y'all around with the next chapter!**

**-SG**


	28. Chapter 28 - dedicated to Klime (guest)

_**As Kristoff gave Anna a hand to climbed up onto her mare, Bulda's weak smile morphed into a frown and she turned her head slightly, studying the flower in the distance, an unknown force drawing her attention. She then smiled, returning her gaze to the two humans who were now galloping away as the yellow rosebud opened very slightly, growing a little more towards the sun.**_

_**The flower shone in the light, and a small aurora flickering above the butter-yellow rose. And, not for the first time, the sense of magic that surrounded Grand Pabbie spread throughout the valley.**_

* * *

"Anna..." Elsa whispered, looking to her sister and backing away from the door to the announcement platform slowly. "I'm not sure I can do this..."

Anna smiled at her sister, shoving her shoulder gently and grinning. "C'mon, Elsa, I managed it!" she urged, pushing against her sister but not able to move her. "Most of the kingdom knows you're pregnant by now anyway, so don't worry. Gossip spreads like wildfire around here, you know!"

"I... I suppose." Elsa frowned before then smiling again, clenching her trembling fists. "Well, it's now or never, I guess," she said quietly, looking out of the window and thinning her lips. "Considering I'll be off to the Southern Isles this time tomorrow."

Anna paused in her urging, recoiling as her eyes began to shine very slightly.

"Oh, Anna. You know I'm sorry," she whispered, turning around and brushing a stray lock of fiery red hair behind the princess' ear. "But I have to go. I can't just let the soldiers go alone. I'd feel awfully guilty, and I can help protect them."

"But you can't protect yourself!" Anna moaned, her eyes beseeching Elsa to change her mind and then plummetting to her feet when she made no attempt to reconsider.

"I'll be fine, Anna," Elsa assured, trying to believe it herself as well. "And I'll make sure my baby's okay, too. I promise." She took her sister's hand, squeezing it softly and trying to adopt her most confident grin. "I'll get Odd back, and I'll get Mia back too. But I can only do that if you stay strong, and help our people. Many will have family or friends going off to war... You have to be their hope while I'm away, their motivation to get up in the morning and keep working until their families return. It's your job to keep them strong, and if you can't then the kingdom will be attacked. If our kingdom falls weak then we'll be easy prey. You've got to guide them, but if you can't be strong yourself then how can they b

"Many will have family or friends going off to war... You have to be their hope while I'm away, their motivation to get up in the morning and keep working until their families return. It's your job to keep them strong, and if you can't do that then the kingdom will be attacked. If our kingdom falls weak then we'll be easy prey. You've got to guide them, to be their guiding star, but if you can't be strong yourself then how can you expect them to be?"

The princess looked away, fiddling with her fingers, but she nodded slowly nevertheless. "I suppose you're right," she whispered, but then a thought occurred to her and she smiled. "But, hey. We can brood later; now we'd better get out there, right? The people are waiting for us, and we can't leave them waiting forever in the cold."

Elsa, caught by surprise, recoiled slightly before sparing a glance towards the door, hanging her head and sighing before she nodded slowly.

"You're right, of course. But please, stay with me? I've never done anything like this before."

Anna smiled at her sympathetically. "Don't worry. Like I said, most people know anyway. But they'll be thrilled to hear it confirmed!"

Elsa smiled, a little more confident with the little ray of sunshine at her side. Stepping over to the door, she then paused before beckoning to her sister and placing her handle on the handle. "Let's go."

* * *

Bulda looked out across the valley, sighing as she watched the lacklustre clouds drifting above, languishing over her situation. She didn't want to be the troll queen; she had always been perfectly happy before. Now, the weight of responsibility that rested upon her shoulders was great, the troll community's very survival reliant on her ability to maintain the magic which defined their lives.

With her new magic, a gift reserved to only the leader of the trolls, she had a deep connection with both the earth and sky, two forces so very different and yet both equally necessary. But the link only hurt her core, the separate forces so strong and conflicting that, most of the time, she only ever felt confused or disheartened.

Spinning to her left, some peculiar force urging her to do so, a small ball of faint light—not unlike that of the aurora—flickered nearby, and Bulda couldn't seem to keep her eyes off of it. Rolling closer towards it, she then waved her hand slowly as Pabbie before her had done so often and the ball zoomed towards her, connecting with her palm and exploding out into a large scene.

A small town, in a kingdom similar to Arendelle. Smoke filled the air, hanging over the villages like a cape of despair, gloom radiating from every street, every building. Flames flickered against the wreckage of wooden houses, and cobblestones were torn up and smashed, debris scattered across the roads. Horses trapped in fallen down stables thrashed about, trying to escape, while their owners lay on the ground, slumped over the wreckage, unmoving, staring at the few surviving creatures with wide, glassy eyes that were devoid of any life, trails of blood dribbling from their mouths. Sea spray battered the lifeless town, and a low chuckle reached the troll Queen's ears.

Gasping, Bulda drew her hand back, rushing away from the light as the vision ended. The curling up into a ball, she immediately began to cascade down the slope from her 'look-out point', heading towards the castle.

She had to warn them.

* * *

The cheer that met Elsa's statement was deafening, the people overjoyed at the news, but there was more to be delivered; despite the pain it brought her, Elsa knew she had to announce the second update either now, or never.

Nodding to one of the nearby guards, she closed her eyes as the sound of a horn being blown sounded across the courtyard, and the excited, murmuring group of people silenced quickly, glancing up at their queen, waiting patiently, expectantly.

Elsa took a deep breath. She'd thought, at first, that announcing her pregnancy would have been the hardest thing, but now she knew she couldn't have been any more wrong. "Well, I..." She fumbled for words, and took a breath, calming herself. "I am sure you have all heard that the Southern Isles and the kingdom of Westleton have gone to war with our sister Kingdom, Corona. As allies, it is our duty to help them with this war, as they would help us."

The crowd began to murmur again, but this time, it wasn't the excited, enthusiastic voices that had come from Elsa's previous statement. She felt her heart beat faster as some of the people looked up at her in sadness and, occasionally, anger; rumours had been spreading around but nothing had, as of yet, been confirmed. People hardly needed to wait for their Queen to finish her speech to know the truth, however; the ice forming on the balcony edges for those close enough to see it was enough of a sign.

"So, as I was saying..." Elsa continued, trying not to sound too petrified herself. "We need to help Corona. We have a strong navy, one of the strongest in the world, in fact, so we should be able to lend some assistance.

"There is not much time to waste. This will inevitably be hard for everyone, but it is a situation which cannot be avoided. We have been preparing for this for a while now, but we cannot afford to stall any longer; we must leave tomorrow morning. And, I am afraid, we will inevitably be away over Christmas." A murmur of frustration passed through the crowd as Elsa continued, trying her best to ignore the people's displeasure. "All of the men in the navy must come with me to the Southern Isles, where we shall aim to attack and destroy the heart of the enemy's operation. Thus meaning, with many soldiers absent, we will need people to guard and protect Arendelle. No doubt we may be attacked during my absence, so I should hope our kingdom will be prepared if that were the case."

She sighed, looking out at the setting sun as she let her words sink into the minds of her people. Once the displeased murmurs died down slightly, however, she picked up again. "All men in the navy should report back here at tomorrow morning, 9 am. Princess Anna shall take care of the Kingdom in my absence, and she will organise the protection too."

A few wary glances were exchanged, and Elsa couldn't help but smile softly at the nervous looks upon her subjects' faces; though her sister was respected, people were still unsure of her. She'd always been very spirited, and her clumsy nature was almost award-worthy. Behind Elsa, the princess could only blush slightly, her freckled cheeks developing a light red tint.

"I understand this is hard for everyone to accept, but I will do all in my power to bring this all to an end as soon as possible. And, I hope, end this entire fiasco with the Southern Isles once and for all."

Bowing her head, Elsa turned back into the castle, her sister following quickly; once she was out of eyesight she immediately slouched against the wall, her hand on her head as a sigh escaped her lips.

* * *

Kristoff and Sven glanced up quickly as the sound of a rock rolling thunderously over cobblestones met their ears. Almost instantaneously their gazes spun to the open gates; there, a large and mossy boulder could be seen hurtling towards them, but neither panicked at the thought of being hit.

Bulda popped out of her disguise before she'd even stopped rolling, tripping from the momentum as she gasped desperately for breath. "Kristoff!" she cried, then stumbling over to him as she continued to gasp, her eyes wide. "Thank God I've found you! I've gotta tell you; Corona is under attack!"

Kristoff frowned as he knelt down, trying to wrap the troll in a hug only to end up pushed away. "Yeah, we know," he said, shrugging slightly as if it were no big deal. "The Southern Isles are trying to attack them—Elsa just announced that they're going to be heading off tomorrow."

Bulda shook her head urgently. "No, no! You're missing the point! They've already destroyed half of the coastline villages—I fear it is only a few days, at this rate, until they reach the castle of Corona itself!"

Kristoff froze immediately, glancing down at the troll warily as if wondering whether —or perhaps hoping that—she was merely telling some sick joke. The expression on her face, though, could not have been forced.

He had to warn them.

The war was really and truly on now.

* * *

**In response to a Guest review by WildVirus - haha, I agree with you :D and considering I'm the author... you get the idea :P**

**Anyway, sorry this chapter is late, too. I found it hard to write because I only got a couple of reviews and, as such, not much inspiration. Please review guys; I enjoy writing, but without your help I don't get ideas and my mind just shuts down!**

**So... yeah, please review :'( I'm having a tough time at home with my family - my Grandmother's really ill and we're all on tenterhooks at the moment. It helps getting reviews, because it makes me feel happier and gives me something to look forward to after school, and it makes me feel like my writing's worth something. **

**Goodnight.**

**-SG**


	29. 29 - dedicated to Jonah (aka Ogg)

_**Bulda**** shook her head urgently. "No, no! You're missing the point! They've already destroyed half of the coastline villages—I fear it is only a few days, at this rate, until they reach the castle of Corona itself!"**_

_**Kristoff froze immediately, glancing down at the troll warily as if wondering whether —or perhaps hoping that—she was merely telling some sick joke. The expression on her face, though, could not have been forced.**_

_**He had to warn them.**_

_**The war was really and truly on now.**_

* * *

She moaned as she awoke, rolling over and staring blankly at the wall. The light which flooded in from the window suggested that it was still early, but within seconds she was wide awake, thoughts flooding her mind. The fact that she was taking her kingdom's soldiers to war in just a few short hours was an extremely distressing one, but the massive task before her was just as worrying. Even now, she still wasn't quite sure what to do; she'd decided the night before that she'd send most of her soldiers to Corona to help protect the kingdom, but that still left the issue that she still needed to try to get to the Southern Isles now, while they were weaker.

She knew, deep down, that the only way to end this was to attack the 'heart' of the enemy, but that seemed easier said than done. She'd either need a massive crew to blow away the Southern Isles' defences, or such a small one that they could sneak into the kingdom unnoticed.

Elsa groaned as she sat up, pushing her somewhat sweaty hair back out of her face so that she could see. Looking over at the grandfather clock, she squinted in the warm red light of the room, and could just make out the hands pointing at six-thirty. Then sighing, she pushed herself out of bed and quickly changed, smoothing down the creases of her dress as she stalled, trying to put off the inevitable time when she had to decide what, exactly, to do. She'd told her kingdom she was going to take the whole army to the Southern Isles; now she really wasn't sure.

Strolling out into the courtyard, Elsa sighed as the frigid morning air hit her like a blast in the face, refreshing her as she breathed the clean air into her lungs, grateful for something, at least, that was pleasant.

"Elsa!"

Anna's voice floated across on the wind, but rather than lifting the queen's mood the sound of her sister's voice only left her feeling worse; how could she leave her young sister behind to protect an _entire kingdom_ with the threat of being attacked so close by? How could she give the poor girl such a crushing responsibility? It wasn't so much that she doubted her sister's choices, no matter how wacky they sometimes were—there were advisors, at any rate, to give her a hand; she just didn't want to see her get hurt.

"Elsa! Come inside!" Anna called again, sounding much too wide awake for the ungodly hour that it was; there was, however, a tone of sadness sewn into the seams of the words, disguised by the slight stutter which arose from the cold. "Please?"

As Elsa neared, Anna only smiled cheekily, though the happiness did not quite reach her eyes. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked, frowning as she folded her arms. "Were you spying on me?" She raised her eyebrows, standing up a little taller, and the Queen nearly laughed.

Nearly.

"I just couldn't sleep. That's all," Elsa reassured, walking inside quickly so as not to give her sister a chill. That would have been all she needed. "I'm nervous. I just don't know what to do."

Anna looked at her sister sadly, but then her face lit up very slightly. "Hey, tell you what. Come to the dining hall with me, and we'll talk this out. I'm hungry, anyway." She paused. "Would you like Kristoff to come as well? He's out in the stables with Sven already, but he might be some use."

Though she was hardly in the mood to talk, really more interested in just trying to forget her worries, Elsa nodded and managed a small smile, if only for her sister's sake.

Entering the dining hall, the queen sat down slowly, watching as her sister sat across from her, leaning down on the table and waiting for her to begin talking patiently, not even seeming to realise that she hadn't asked Kristoff to come, nor had she sent for him, but his lack of presence was not really an issue. Brushing it off, Elsa then took a deep and calming breath in before beginning to explain her predicament to her sister. Anna, for once, listened intently, not even butting in once; she only murmured quietly a few times, showing her understanding.

"That's a difficult situation," she agreed once Elsa finished, nodding, her face straight with grave seriousness. "I think you should just... you know, split it half and half. Take half of the soldiers with you to the Southern Isles, and the other half can go with the captain of the Army to Corona. I doubt they'd be any safer going there than going with you, so... It doesn't make much difference. As long as the men know how to fire a cannon and shoot, there's a good chance. But, of course, I'm not good at all of this."

Elsa sighed, something she'd practically become an expert at recently, and looked at her sister with a frown upon her face, her eyes full of sorrow. "I don't feel right leaving you here to look after Arendelle, Anna," she said, hanging her head as if she'd done something to be ashamed of. "With the army out of the way, I'm so scared other countries will just attack us."

Anna smiled softly, and though her grin was laced with almost as much distress as the queen's, it still made Elsa's heart soar. "Don't worry about me, Sis. I'll take care of things. I'll train some men to fire, and I'll make sure Arendelle's protected the best I can." She paused, her forced smile falling. "I'm more worried about you. I mean, going off to war... It's not exactly safe, is it? And you're pregnant, and I..."

Elsa leaned across the table and took her sister's hand, squeezing it softly. "Don't worry about me, Anna. And I know that's hypocritical, but still. I've got my magic, anyway, so I'm pretty well prepared."

Anna nodded, not looking convinced but at least not arguing any, as a knock sounded at the door and Kristoff walked into the room, Sven in tow. Elsa glared at him though it was a half-hearted gesture; he simply pretended to ignore her, winking at Anna with, somehow, genuine happiness in his grin. She smiled back, suddenly looking even more excited. Elsa, not hearing a word, nor seeing anything that amusing about the situation, was only left puzzled.

But her bemusement only heightened a few seconds later; jumping as unexpected company came into the room, she frowned as maid after maid swarmed around her, Anna and Kristoff, carrying platters of food which definitely seemed to be unsuited for breakfast. It wasn't until a large goose was laid down before her that she understood. And then, looking at her sister and noticing the ecstatic expression on her face, she couldn't help but giggle slightly, even though her heart was still heavy.

They were having christmas dinner at seven o'clock in the morning, for breakfast.

* * *

**Thanks to all of the comforting reviews last chapter - they made me feel better about everything that's going on. It's nice to know that you guys are here to support me, so... yeah. Thank you.**

**Now, I know traditional Norwegian christmas dinner isn't a goose (or a turkey, for that matter), but hey! It's a story, and I'm pretty sure they don't speak English as their main language in Norway either. So deal with it. ;)**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I don't really know what else to say...**

**Oh, yeah! Challenge!  
**

**So, name a colour, and describe what it means to _you_. For example, red could mean danger, love, blood, passion, etc. My favourite idea will be featured in the next chapter, so if you want something to happen, such as a fight scene (red - blood) here's your chance to try and tilt the balance towards it. But try and be creative - if there's no good ones I won't include them.**

**So, thanks again.**

**-SG**


	30. Chapter 30 - dedicated to mmer

_**But her bemusement only heightened a few seconds later; jumping as unexpected company came into the room, she frowned as maid after maid swarmed around her, Anna and Kristoff, carrying platters of food which definitely seemed to be unsuited for breakfast. It wasn't until a large goose was laid down before her that she understood. And then, looking at her sister and noticing the ecstatic expression on her face, she couldn't help but giggle slightly, even though her heart was still heavy.**_

_**They were having christmas dinner at seven o'clock in the morning, for breakfast.**_

* * *

"Please, Anna..." Elsa whispered, her eyes glistening as a few tears, having overcome the Queen's determination not to cry, trailed down her cheeks and came to rest in the corner of her mouth. All the while her sister walked briskly by her side, not making the same effort as her eyes grew increasingly redder. She held the material of her sister's gown with iron grip, her fingers trembling slightly. "Anna, don't make this any harder, for goodness sakes. "

"You really think I'm gonna just let you go? Are you sure they can't go without you?" Anna's hasty scamper slowed to a halt as she lowered her head, her hand kept tightly on her sister's dress so that she could not sneak away. Then, in a small whisper, she spoke cautiously as she spared a glance upwards. "You'll get yourself killed out there, Elsa. And I'm no Queen, I'm a klutz—you know that! I'll get our kingdom killed!"

Elsa sighed as she listened quietly, shaking her head and stepping closer to her sister so as to bring her into an embrace, gripping the younger woman's hand as she did so. Then letting out a breath, she sighed as she felt the familiar pinprick as her magic began to materialise, flowing smoothly from her palm to the princess' warmer one. She, in turn, shivered at the vaguely familiar feeling of ice flowing through her veins.

"Look, Anna. I hope nothing happens, but... if it does, please try to keep everyone safe. It's not much magic, but it should be enough to... Freeze a few attacking ships, I suppose. Maybe a bit more."

"That's not nearly enough!" Anna moaned, glancing down at her palms and then snapping her attention back to her sister.

"Oh, shush. You don't need magic to be a strong ruler, just your people's love and respect. And, you know, some soldiers too." Giving a feeble smile, Elsa turned away and began to hurry towards the dock, glancing about at the ships all lined up. "You've got all that, Anna, or the basis for it—you only need to train up a few of the remaining men, and you'll be fine."

"You can't promise that!"

Keeping quiet for a few seconds as she cleared the last few metres to the wooden, somewhat slippery docks, Elsa then turned around and folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Would I really leave you if I thought you couldn't handle it?"

"No, of course not." Anna snapped, her eyes narrowing so much that she could not see past the tears. "You're obviously not thinking straight! You're insane!"

"Now, Anna, I-"

"Excuse me, your Highness!" A shout from above sounded amidst the chaos, making the poor Queen jump slightly in shock before she turned to face her caller, a greying man whose wearied face carried more than one scar from battle. "My apologies, Ma'am, but we need to set sail now. We're ten minutes behind schedule already." He paused slightly before bowing, turning with a stiff posture and barking incomprehensible orders to the men aboard the vessel.

Elsa looked down at the floor, sighing loudly before looking back up. "I'll see you in a couple of months, then, okay?" she said, her voice suddenly weaker; Anna was not quick to respond but nodded eventually, tears splashing onto the ground below. Caught up in her grief, she barely noticed as Elsa was dragged away onto the deck.

"I love you. You know that, right?" the Queen called down, trying to smile.

Anna looked up slowly, not even attempting to reciprocate her sister's happiness. "I suppose."

* * *

"Concerning the girl, I noticed how down she seems," Hans said, frowning at Ayla. "If she's in bad spirits, it'll be hard for us to get her to help the cause. If she won't help, then our plans will be ruined—at least partly so. We need her to get up close to the Arendellians."

Ayla sighed, her brow creasing. "I know, I know... We need to do something entertaining for her. She's a two-year-old kid, after all; the brat needs to have some fun. Toddlers can't survive on just food and water; they'll die of boredom. And in Mia's case, I wouldn't put it past her, either—she's incredibly weak willed."

Hans nodded, snarling. "Yeah. She'd probably end up playing with her magic and... stabbing herself by accident. Like how she killed my brother."

Any normal person would have winced at the prince's deadpan comment, but not Ayla; she only smiled, almost admiring the way Hans never let anything get him down; he didn't let himself get hurt. Most would see this as being cold, and perhaps he was. But to the sorceress, that was merely appealing.

"Don't worry about Mia, Hans," she said, pushing him gently out of the room and grinning. "I'll get her seeing straight again."

* * *

"Mia?" Upon hearing Ayla's voice, sickly sweet as always, the young Princess peeked nervously out of her mini refuge, though the covers had been more of a concealer than a solution. She didn't pick up on the clearly forced sense of happiness in the sorceress' voice; as Ayla stepped inside, she didn't notice the unnaturally large beam. "Ah, there you are. Come with me; I've got something to show you."

Mia's warm yet icy blue eyes locked with Ayla's cold but beautiful ones, and she felt herself surrender at the control the sorceress suddenly claimed over her. Immediately, almost in a brainless manner, she slipped out of her bed, stumbling after her 'mentor' out of the room, her heart pounding, her fear threatening to burst out of her chest in an explosion of emotion.

She couldn't put her finger on the problem, but she did know one thing.

With time, it was only getting worse.

* * *

**Thanks to (guest) for the idea of black suggesting privacy - no one ever seems to think of it that way, and I thought it was a valid point.**

**Now, for today's challenge, I want a time of day - your favourite time of day. ****Not '3:15' or something because that's when school ends (although that is true, best part of the day!), but more of a wider range - e.g. witching hour, dawn, dusk, etc. Whatever you can think of, with a valid reason why it's your favourite. The most imaginative or interesting reason and time will be included next chapter!  
**

**God, I like doing challenges, but they're getting harder and harder to think of!**

**Thanks,**

**SG**


	31. Chapter 31 - dedicated to TailsDoll13

_**Mia's warm yet icy blue eyes locked with Ayla's cold but beautiful ones, and she felt herself surrender at the control the sorceress suddenly claimed over her. Immediately, almost in a brainless manner, she slipped out of her bed, stumbling after her 'mentor' out of the room, her heart pounding, her fear threatening to burst out of her chest in an explosion of emotion.**_

_**She couldn't put her finger on the problem, but she did know one thing.**_

_**With time, it was only getting worse.**_

* * *

Mia followed after Ayla slowly, taking care to remain at least a few metres behind the beautiful blonde. Her own platinum blonde hair was well knotted from being tousled under the covers of her bed; even it was less crazy than her constantly whirring mind.

She couldn't quite put a finger on what it was that made her so unsure and wary of both Hans and Ayla, neither of whom had done anything but be pleasant in her presence, but she was always so nervous when they came near. She almost couldn't help but wonder, were they hiding some secret from her?

She knew she could control people with her powers, even if the ability she possessed was not all that strong; weak-willed people, perhaps, would be her most common prey. Nevertheless, she wasn't sure how much her power could stretch, and did not know whether someone more capable of protecting and sealing off their mind could fall to her as well. Of course, she was only two; she hadn't put that much thought into the matter. Still, though, the issue had plagued her mind once or twice.

"Okay, Mia," Ayla said, her voice soft but with was an undertone of frustration behind it. As usual, this displeasure went missed by the young child, who was much too distracted by nervousness already to pick up on such a subtle note. "If you wait in here for a minute, and then I'll be back with a surprise for you."

Mia whimpered but nodded all the same, shrinking back into the couch and wondering if it would be so kind as to just engulf her and take all of her fears with her. Of course, she didn't realise that if she was 'swallowed' up by the sofa, that she'd actually suffocate and die.

Not that she wasn't drowning in a deep lake of confusion and fear already.

Watching with sharp eyes as Ayla left the room, Mia slowly began to settle a little, her heart rate returning to normal. She then let out a sigh of relief and curled up on the sofa, relishing the moments she had alone until the sorceress came back.

The few moments of happiness quickly disappeared when Mia's ears detected a soft pounding upon the floor, something like gentle footsteps, and she quickly scrambled to hide up against the sofa.

_It okay..._ Her young mind was working ten-to-the-dozen, trying to calm her down, and failing miserably. _Just maid, or someone. Not Ayla, Hans. Just maid..._

"Mia?" A quiet, hushed whisper sounded from behind and the little princess visibly jumped in shock, her heart pounding wildly. For a moment, she thought she had recognised that voice—but surely not?

"Mia?"

The person from behind murmured softly again, a little louder than before, but not angry and still calm; Mia's eyes only widened, her little hands trembling slightly.

"Auntie Elsa?" Her whisper was one of disbelief; as she crawled out from behind the couch very slightly to peep around the corner, she was shocked to see that she had been correct—before her Queen Elsa stood in all her glory, her hair pulled away from her face in its usual messy plait, which was draped across her shoulder. She was wearing her old ice gown, and her crown rested lightly upon her platinum-blonde head of hair.

It looked larger than it normally did.

Crawling towards her aunt, both nervous and excited at the same time, Mia's face broke into a watery smile. Perhaps her Aunt could finally get her out of this place, and she could return to Arendelle with her family. She'd missed them all so much, whether they had been punishing her or not.

Elsa looked around quickly as if waiting for someone, and then returned her gaze directly to Mia, her eyes pleading the girl to hurry.

"Quickly, Mia!" she whispered, her voice so urgent that even the child could pick up on its distress. "We need to get out of here before they catch us!"

Mia's eyes widened and she nodded stiffly, ignoring the warning bells in her head as she hurried over towards her Aunt. Just before she could get there, however, she noticed how the Queen's expression had suddenly changed to one of pure hatred as she raised a shaking, accusatory finger.

"You killed Arne!" she snapped, taking a huge step towards Mia, "So now, I'm going to avenge his death. This is goodnight for the very last time, Mia!"

The young girl couldn't quite understand what her Aunt had meant by 'goodnight for the very last time', but she was smart enough to know it was definitely not a good thing. And so she whimpered, scrambling back as the queen drew a knife from the folds of her dress in a seemingly impossible place, twirling it in her fingers before directing it at Mia. Then leaning forwards, she grinned as she brought the blade up to the girl's chin, quickly jerking it upwards.

Mia gasped, her eyes widening as she scrambled backwards quickly, her eyes filling with tears as she whimpered and trembled. Her screams, however, never sounded, no noise escaping her throat, not even as the queen trod closer with a malicious snarl plastered on her face; no matter how much she wanted to, she found herself completely incapable of making noise.

"He-" she began to cry, but found herself cut off as the breath was stolen from her lungs as the woman came closer, knife in hand. Stopping just beside the child she then narrowed her eyes and gave a short laugh, raising the blade higher until it was held above her head, ready to strike—

And then she froze, her hand lowering slowly as she looked down at her feet in horror, from which smoke was rising slowly. A second later, massive flames engulfed her, sending her reeling away from the child's side.

The acrid smoke seemed to reach her lungs immediately, though it was not all that scratchy or bitter in her throat, and as Mia slowly began to crawl towards the door, she suddenly felt herself be overcome with an intense sense of fatigue. Collapsing to the floor, she heaved as she curled up, trembling as she coughed and choked, her world suddenly going fuzzy.

The door slammed open much too loudly, or so the young child thought as she watched, through blurred vision, the figure of a man come rushing into the room. For just a moment, Mia thought that he'd run straight through the burning Elsa's body, but then she realised she must just be tired and delusional.

You couldn't just run through another person; that was obvious.

Scooping the young child up, the man all but jumped from the room, cradling her in his arms as he ran past a blonde-haired woman. Paying her very little attention, instead pressing his hand down on the girl's agonising neck and whispering, "Don't worry, little Princess," Mia soon let her eyes slide shut, her exhaustion great, her mind in turmoil.

Maybe these royals would look after her, after all.

* * *

Gasping, Mia shot up from the bed, almost falling onto the floor as she moaned and ran her hands through her sweaty hair. With each consecutive night, the dreams were only getting worse and worse; by now, just going to sleep was a terrifying prospect.

Slipping out of her room quietly, the only reassuring thought being that of a glass of warm milk, Mia whimpered as she walked down through the corridors, the chilly air of the castle oddly distressing. Passing by a large, bronze memorial statue of the late Prince Bjørn, she then froze, a slight disturbance coming from a room ever so close by; shrinking back into the shadows, she pressed herself against the unpleasantly cold metal, wishing she could just blend in.

Her heart was pounding, her brain telling her to run—so who could it be but Hans and Ayla?

"Don't worry, Hans." Ayla's voice was quiet as the door opened and she stepped out, looking down the corridors before leaving the room. It was almost impossible to hear what she was saying and even harder to actually comprehend and understand. "I know you said she was bored, but we don't have time to worry about that. Just commission some toys for her and she'll be fine. But tonight will have stirred her up, and she'll be on our side for sure. If she gets anywhere near Queen Elsa, she'll strike out. One little icicle and bam—Elsa's dead, and this is all over."

Hans grunted softly, approvingly. "That's a fair plan," he agreed, "but won't she be confused when she finds Elsa is alive, and not actually dead?"

Ayla let out a tiny, quiet laugh. "She's a two-year-old, Hans. What two-year-old can put two and two together?"

The conversation died out and in the silence that followed as the two walked away, Mia held her breath, not wanting to give them any clue that she was awake; she couldn't quite pick up everything, just a few snippets here and there, but she knew for a fact that somehow, this plan involved her, and it wasn't a good one.

Toddling back to her room, Mia whimpered as she clambered up to her window seat, staring out across the sleeping kingdom as she so often did. The sky was dark and clouded over, the wind howling so much that the trees almost snapped.

The chiming of the clock came out of nowhere, shocking Mia from her musings. A few small icicles burst forth from her fingers, her blood suddenly freezing up momentarily in her veins; twelve am, the witching hour. The time when all of the creatures of darkness came out of hiding to haunt the world; when witches, demons and ghosts were most powerful, and when black magic was strongest.

Backing up against the wall, Mia yelped as she felt her hand pressing up against the cold, wet wall behind her. Spinning, she looked around herself wildly, her chest heaving as she felt herself descending into terror.

The witching hour—the time when her magic seemed to be at its most unstable, too.

Thinking back to Hans and Ayla's conversation earlier, Mia moaned and buried her head in her hands, slipping as the floor beneath her feet froze up too. Landing with a yelp, she only began to tremble more, her already pained mind completely ravaged.

After everything she had been through herself, she was of no mind to hurt anyone else, but the one true question now was a simple one, one which even a toddler could consider.

Could she hold her magic back to keep everyone else safe?

* * *

**Okay, so sorry it's late, but here's the next chapter anyway!**

**I don't have much to say, but here's the next challenge for you:**

**Choose a star sign and then decide on one aspect of that sign (e.g. Gemini is generally twins, etc). Then I'll try to include my favourite in the next chapter!  
**

**Sorry again for the delay!**

**SG**


	32. Chapter 32 - dedicated to Blackknght

_**Thinking back to Hans and Ayla's conversation earlier, Mia moaned and buried her head in her hands, slipping as the floor beneath her feet froze up too. Landing with a yelp, she only began to tremble more, her already pained mind completely ravaged.**_

_**After everything she had been through herself, she was of no mind to hurt anyone else, but the one true question now was a simple one, one which even a toddler could consider.**_

_**Could she hold her magic back to keep everyone else safe?**_

* * *

Elsa sighed as a large flock of birds—seagulls, she presumed, though they were too far off to tell for certain—flew past her fleet, their squawking intolerable. She couldn't help but envy them, with the simplicity of their lives; she was not so lucky, with such a great pressure upon her head to keep her men safe during the attack. It was a near-unbearable weight, and that was with only a portion of her fleet to protect; she couldn't help but dread even more the news of how the attack on Corona would fare without her there to support her own men.

At any rate, she wasn't even sure that her ships could do a thing to help; though they had one of the strongest navies, Elsa also knew that some of the Southern Isles' men had already landed and had gone ashore. What use would the Arendellian backup be if there were fewer vulnerable enemy ships still at sea? Her footsoldiers were hardly a force to be reckoned with.

The waves crashed against the edge of the boat, sea spraying Elsa's face. Squinting as the sun slowly peeped over the horizon, the red rays dancing across the great expanse of water, she moaned and looked out to the following ships, her heart sinking.

Something terrible was surely coming.

* * *

Rapunzel leapt from the castle, her long, blonde hair trailing behind her. She almost slipped as she hurried down the steps to the villages, calling loudly for Maximus to come and help her.

"Rapunzel!" Her husband's voice rang out through the air, almost completely drowned out by the sound of canons and guns exploding not far away. "Rapunzel, please come back!"

He sprinted down the steps, jumping across two, three, at a time to catch her up. Grabbing her hand roughly, he tried his best to pull her backwards, straining against her determination. "Come on, 'Punzel, please!" he cried, his eyes pleading with hers, but the newly appointed Queen just pulled her hand away and turned around, refusing to face him.

"No, Eugene!" she snapped, her eyes burning. "I will not let my people just die down there!"

The Prince looked mortified, as he groaned. "But Rapunzel! You'll get yourself killed if you go down there!"

"Listen, Eugene!" she shouted, jumping as a canon blast exploded nearby and nearly falling backwards. "I am going down there to help who I can. If there are men and women down there who are hurt, I am going to heal them! I'm the Queen now, so it's my responsibility." She folded her arms. "Either you're coming with me to help, or I'm going alone. It doesn't make much difference, whichever you choose, but I'm not staying here a second more!"

Eugene groaned, glancing down to the kingdom below and then back to the castle. "But, Rapunzel... I don't want you getting hurt! And now especially... "

Rapunzel's expression softened slightly and she finally turned back to face him, slipping her hand in his. "Look, Eugene. I'm not going to let my people suffer if there's anything I can do to help, even if all I can do is to reduce their suffering. But I promise you, I'll be okay." She placed his hand on her stomach. "And so will our baby."

Eugene sighed, but Rapunzel could tell she'd gotten through to him as he let go of her hand. Nodding, he looked out over their kingdom, his eyes focused on the line of ships surrounding the main port. Rapunzel immediately followed her husband's gaze, looking out over the sea.

"Do you think Arendelle are sending any ships to help us?" she asked, her expression grave. Eugene's brows fastened into a frown, his eyes dull.

"I sure hope so," he said, pausing before he took his wife's soft hand. Looking to her with one more pleading gaze, he then sighed and stood a little taller, then rushing down to the villages below in the hope of saving who they could from the attacks.

* * *

Mia sat quietly as she ate her breakfast quickly, purposefully keeping her gaze away from Ayla and Hans. Instead, she kept her gaze focused on her bowl of honey-sweetened porridge, concentrating so firmly on not spilling any of the food off of her spoon as she shovelled it in.

Quickly excusing herself once she'd scraped up most of the morsels, she hastened to scamper outside, breathing a great sigh of relief as she escaped the confines of the castle. She was not as alone as she would have liked, however; glancing across the courtyard, her heart plummetted when she laid eyes upon the ageing Queen who was sat out in the cold winter sun, embroidering a cloth contentedly. She glanced up as the young girl tried to sneak past, smiling at her warmly and beckoning for her to come over, glancing around first.

Slowly, Mia crept over, careful to keep a little distance between her and the woman, eyeing her cautiously. The Queen smiled sympathetically at her, offering her hand slowly as one would to an animal, as if she worried that the little princess would be frightened away.

"Don't worry, little one," she said, smiling as Mia rested her palm gently in the Queen's, testing to see if she was safe to be around. "You've never really seen me before, have you?" Mia shook her head, a little unsure of the Queen's intentions, as she spun in her chair to face the child properly. "Don't worry—I won't hurt you." She softly squeezed Mia's hand, smiling warmly; to her surprise, the child actually returned the gesture halfheartedly.

Something in the back of Mia's mind told her to be careful, that to trust anyone was dangerous; the other part cried out stronger, merely desperate for any kind of friendliness.

"You not lie?"

"Of course not, Sweetie," the queen assured, giving a very small laugh. "My son actually forbade me from talking with you, but you seem lonely. Are you not?"

Mia looked at the Queen sadly, nodding as she drew her hand away and fiddled with her fingers, looking at the cobbled floor. "I miss Mama, Papa," she said quietly, a small tear falling from her eye which she immediately wiped away. The older woman looked shocked for a minute before smiling a little, softly patted Mia's head and pulling her slightly closer to her. "Oh, hush, hush, Sweetie," she cooed, her voice oddly smoother than everyone else's seemed to be. "Don't worry. If you ever want to talk, come and find me, hmm? But, don't tell anyone, or I'll get in trouble."

Mia smiled slightly and nodded, looking just a little happier as the Queen drew away, standing up and brushing down her gown as she held the knit-work under her arm. And, as she left, the young princess couldn't help but feel that maybe, her day wouldn't be quite so bad.

Maybe, just maybe, she could be a normal child once again. At least for a few minutes.

* * *

"I do believe that it is time to take another step in our plan. Send a message to the captain of the army; we're heading to Arendelle today."

Ayla grinned, her eyes glinting as she watched the man before him. "You're so cold hearted, Hans," she said, grinning. "Taking advantage of Arendelle when they're weak... I like that." Stepping forwards, she reached up slightly and, taking Hans by surprise in the darkness, kissed his cheek lightly. He, of course, stiffened up immediately; she could only grin triumphantly.

"Night, Princey."

* * *

**So, we have a multiple POV chapter on our hands here today!** **I hope you liked it!**

**As for last chapter's challenge, I didn't get many reviews on the whole and only a couple of people gave an ****idea. They were great ideas, but I wasn't quite sure how to actually include them.**

**So... please review! I'll be away for 3 days on DofE, so won't it be a nice surprise for me if I have more than normal? (Hint, hint)Besides, i'll be shattered by that point, so give me some inspiration to get writing!**

**Woo!**

**Haha, i'm so random.**

**There's no challenge this chapter because I didn't have time to think of one, but please leave any suggestions in a review!**

**See y'all around!**

**-SG**


	33. Chapter 33 - dedicated to WildVirus

_**Elsa's eyes began to flicker from her fatigue, and her muscles were groaning from the effort, the lactic acid produced from the exercise burning her from the inside out. She could feel the man's grip on her wrist slackening as she tightened her own, and she feebly kicked her legs, feeling the muscles tighten from the effort. Her eyes blurred in and out of focus for a second, and she wished she had the rope to hold onto now, but she could barely even make out the ship by this point, she was so tired, let alone anything smaller.**_

_**She closed her eyes for a moment as she struggled forward, and her breathing was becoming ragged. She had a strange fluttery feeling in her stomach, too, and then a sharp kick from her abdomen, which gave her only a little more strength. She figured her baby was scolding her for doing this, and she couldn't blame it - she was already drifting into a state of near unconsciousness.**_

_**She squinted her eyes open as she felt her grip on the man's wrist slacken more, and she began to panic, but she was so weak that she could barely even form more than one thought. She struggled forward, and could swear she saw something coming towards her.**_

_**She let out a breath as she finally ran out of energy, and slipped under the water, the same way Mia had before she was kidnapped.**_

* * *

The news spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom of the Southern Isles. Barely half a day had passed since the incident and yet virtually every person seemed to know what had happened. The noise in the streets was deafening as men and women, girls and boys, exchanged their theories as to what had really gone on that day.

"Did you hear about the news?"

"Can you believe it?"

"Is it really true?"

Wherever one went, questions and answers of the same nature were constantly being exchanged. In every single street of the kingdom, people were completely desperate for answers, and yet terrified of knowing the truth at the same time, for fear that they would be next to fall prey to the same cruel fate.

"Yes, yes, that's what I heard-"

"Two of the Princes... I don't know which ones-"

"That makes three, now-"

"Only ten left-"

What with two Princes dead in a terrible catastrophe, it was no surprise the people of the Southern Isles were in such a state. The gossip potential was great, but the terror that came with it was overpowering. The two late princes had been among the most powerful people in the Kingdom, or at least the best protected; if they had still been targeted, what chance did anyone else have?

The exact cause of their death was unknown, but there was definitely not a lack of theories flying around. The two princes had been heading for another island just off the coast of the main isle, that much everyone knew, but the rest was a mystery. Some people assumed there had been an assassination attempt, but there were no signs of any puncture wounds from a gun, no betraying slashes through their skin from a sword. No bloody noses or bruises in sight.

Others assumed it was the result of some new disease which, naturally, was terrifying to the average people—if it was true, no doubt it would spread quickly. If doctors couldn't detect it—which had surely been the case if the two princes had not received medical attention and were off to visit other parts of the kingdom—anyone could be dropping dead any minute.

Understandably, the second theory made more sense than the first, though many were adamant that they had been strangled. Still, it would have taken a miracle to get close enough to the two princes to do so without being beaten to a pulp by their guards.

Then there were the final few who had a completely separate idea. Most shunned their views as stupid, but a handful of people believed something different.

Sorcery.

They didn't know who, or how, but these few people were convinced that it had been magic which had caused the princes to pass on.

How correct they were.

* * *

Ayla smiled as she looked out of the window at the people gathering in the streets below, talking nervously with each other, sharing gossip and theories. She couldn't help but feel very satisfied with herself, impressed at how well she'd actually pulled the whole stunt off.

A knock came at the door and Ayla glanced around quickly to see Hans standing in the doorway, his expression somber. That alone puzzled her; surely he wasn't saddened by the deaths of his two older brothers, considering how little respect, or love, he had for them? As he entered the guest chambers, however, he quickly perked up.

"Hello there, Princey," Ayla said, slouching casually in her chair, folding one leg over the other absent-mindedly. Her blonde hair shined in the light, and the way the sun was located behind her head gave her an angelic image.

Of course, Ayla was anything but angelic.

"I see everything went to plan, then?" Hans said, gripping a glass of wine in his hand as he sat down across from her, eyeing her with interest. Any normal woman would have blushed a deep shade of crimson at the attention; Ayla, however, just smiled in a teasing way as a black cloth from her vanity floated over to him. Coiling around his head, the material was too quick for the Prince to even react. Hans folded his arms in frustration after trying in vain to remove his blindfold, scowling in an annoyed way.

"Use your imagination, Princey," Ayla said with an almost scolding tone, reprimanding him for having such thoughts. "You have a very twisted mind, I'm sure it won't be all that hard for you.

"Now, to answer your question, yes, everything did go to plan. Bloody hard, though; I'm going to have a headache all day!"

Hans chuckled, and it was easy to imagine him raising his eyebrows in mockery. "Oh, really? How can magic make your body hurt?"

"It takes a lot of concentration and energy, Hans," she snapped, her eyes narrowing despite his inability of seeing her doing so. "The level of magic required really takes it out of me, though it pains me even more to admit it."

"So, how did you do it?"

Ayla paused for a second, wondering how to start as she looked to her side, momentarily zoning out as if remembering some long-lost memory. "Well, my powers can't be used to kill someone directly, as you know. So, for example, I couldn't just click my fingers and you fall dead. Of course, I have to work with what I have, so it wasn't easy to find another way to get rid of your two brothers without having their deaths be an obvious murder."

Hans nodded to convey his understanding, slouching in his chair slightly as he fiddled with the edge of the blindfold.

"So, then, how did you pull it off? The townspeople have no idea what happened, so you must've done something right."

"You are so impatient, Hans." Ayla teased, taking great pleasure in stalling. Clucking her tongue in a disapproving, way, making a _tsk-tsk _sound, she then sighed quietly. "Okay, okay, fine. I wiped the guard's minds for a few seconds, just enough to leave them disorientated for five minutes or so. Then all I had to do was duplicate your brothers' carriage with unliving copies of them inside, and light a fire beneath the real one."

"So you mean to say you burnt them alive?"

Ayla scowled, huffing. "No, of course not. I just set the carriage on fire and locked the doors—oh, and made the evidence invisible, so the guards all bought that the duplicate was actually the real carriage. But don't worry; I cleaned up after myself when I regained a little bit of breath."

"Huh. That's not a bad plan, actually. And you say I have a twisted mind," he remarked. Ayla only scowled wider.

"You say you want to stay in my good books," she said in a sickly, soft voice, but then her eyes began to genuinely sparkle. "But you're being very cheeky with me. "

Hans smiled. "You're a big girl. You can deal with a bit of cheekiness," he said, his voice getting steadily deeper as he shifted a little in his seat. Ayla only rolled her eyes in amusement, especially as she released the blindfold from around his eyes and watched as Hans stood up immediately. Walking over to her slowly, his eyes glinted in an excited way, his pupils having dilated somewhat.

"You know, when you sit there like that, you really look like an angel," he drawled, drawing a little closer to her. "A fallen angel."

Ayla flashed him a smile, her eyes settling on his lips hungrily as she raised up in her seat. And then, without a moment's hesitation, Hans smashed his lips against hers, gripping her shoulders tightly as he pulled her up to him. And, for once, she didn't turn away, but reciprocated the action with just as much heated, lustful passion.

A fallen angel, indeed.

* * *

Mia lay silently on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, both insanely bored and incredibly scared. She'd heard what had happened to the two Princes, was terrified their fate would become hers. Growing up in a society where death was so common, she knew vaguely about what it entailed; the end of everything, or something like that.

She turned her head towards the far-off open window and sighed, wishing she could go outside to get some fresh air but knowing full well that it was not allowed. Hans had specifically requested that she remain in the castle, not even permitting her to go out to the courtyard. Supposedly the deaths of his two brothers had been caused by magic, and he later went on to state—in hushed terms, of course—that there was 'overwhelming evidence' that it had been Queen Elsa who had orchestrated the scheme.

Mia didn't quite understand what Hans had said—'overwhelming' was too big a word for her to have learnt yet—but she knew that whatever it meant, her aunt was being blamed.

Dragging herself over to the window and pushing her head out as far as she could, Mia moaned as she rested her head on her hands, the tears rolling down her cheeks in waves, splashing on the oak window frame. Then clenching her hand, she tried to take a deep breath in as she released her fingers slowly—but felt no better, not even as a small snowflake burst from her palm.

A gentle bird song blew across on the breeze and reached Mia's ears, the sweet lullaby soothing her just a little. Drying her tears, she then looked up slowly, watching as a small bluebird fed her chicks in a nearby nest. She sighed at the happy family of animals, wishing that they would come closer.

Without her even realising it, Mia's hand slowly flicked upwards, the little snowflake floating lazily off in the same direction as if following an order. Landing upon the bird's head and melting, there was a moment when nothing happened. The bluebird appeared dazed for a moment, then it turned to face Mia and flew over quickly, settling on the window sill and letting out a few softly whistled notes in greeting.

It was then, as Mis felt her body go numb and heavy from sudden tiredness, she remembered her other power of mind control. Then collapsing to her knees as her eyes began to drift shut, she could do nothing but crawl over to the bed and scramble up, falling asleep almost immediately and dreaming of a better place; a place she'd reached by using her powers.

* * *

Elsa awoke slowly, the bright light shocking her as she opened her eyes. Smoothing her loose hair back away from her face, she then sat up and thought about moving, quickly abandoning that idea and instead just sitting still on the edge of the bed, her fingers gripping the covers.

The boat rocked unpleasantly as it rode the waves, and Elsa could feel her last meal churning around in her stomach, threatening quietly to resurface. Placing a hand over her mouth, she moaned and closed her eyes, then leaning up against the bedrest.

Groaning as the ship rocked over an especially large wave, Elsa let her head roll back slowly before she gasped, a small flutter in her abdomen shocking her. Smiling thinly, she opened her eyes very slightly and looked down, rubbing her stomach in small, round circles.

"You get seasick too, huh, baby?" she whispered. "Just hang in there. You'll get to meet Daddy really soon, and won't that be nice?"

Looking out of the window, Elsa sighed as she felt another wave of nausea flare up, making her moan. Closing her eyes again, she then slouched slightly and moved to rest her head on her forehead.

It was going to be a long morning.

* * *

"So, now that your brothers are out of the way, what happens?" Heart pounding in her chest, Ayla's words were more of a gasp.

"Well, now that they're out of the picture, I say we progress onto the next stage. No doubt, the rest of my family will be too numb anyway to argue, and if we can convince them that the deaths are connected somehow to Arendelle—a spy or assassin, perhaps—they'll have extra reason to support us. Bjørn's death made a great foundation, but this will really have pushed them over the edge."

Ayla nodded. "That... That'll probably work, actually. So, like I said before, what happens now?"

Hans smirked.

"We attack Arendelle."

* * *

**In response to a guest review by WildVirus, of course you can! I'd be honoured if you did that, it would make my day :D I'd like to see your interpretation of them. if you don't in the end, that's fine too, but I really would like that :D**

**(And to everyone else, if you want to make some art for this story, I have no complaints what-so-ever, in fact it makes me happy to know people like my story enough, but if possible, I'd love to see it!)**

**So, special thanks to WildVirus, for your exciting offer / question, and Elsathesnowqueen, for multiple enjoyable reviews. And, thanks again - this chapter is dedicated to the both of you!**

**Now, this was a long chapter, and sorry that quite a bit of it was dialogue. I'm sorry it's a bit late, but hopefully this still makes up for that, despite the speech-overload. I'm hoping for more reviews this chapter because it took longer to write, whether I'll get more is another matter because most people don't seem to like reviewing but... a girl can hope, right?**

**Finally, thanks for 30,000 views on this story - I got more last story, but oh well :P If you have any friends who might like this, please tell them!**

* * *

**Anyway, challenge time! **

**Firstly, if anyone has any challenge ideas, that would be great! It probably takes me longer to think of these than actually writing the chapter ;)**

**So, for this chapter, the challenge is:**

**What has happened to Odd?**

**You know Mia's side of the story. You know Elsa, Anna and Kristoff's side of the story. But no one (well, except me ;P ) knows what happened to Odd!**

**Leave your ideas in a review!**

**-SG**


	34. Chapter 34 - dedicated to blackknght

_**"Well, now that they're out of the picture, I say we progress onto the next stage. No doubt, the rest of my family will be too numb anyway to argue, and if we can convince them that the deaths are connected somehow to Arendelle—a spy or assassin, perhaps—they'll have extra reason to support us. Bjørn's death made a great foundation, but this will really have pushed them over the edge."**_

_**Ayla nodded. "That... That'll probably work, actually. So, like I said before, what happens now?"**_

_**Hans smirked.**_

_**"We attack Arendelle."**_

* * *

Watching as the waves lapped at the edge of the boat, gentle at last, Elsa sighed as the sea spray decorated her window. Not too far away, she could make out the shape of dolphins leaping in and out of the water, playing with each other as a family pod. Sighing, she had to retreat before she could ponder how much she missed her own family.

She slowly made her way over to her bed again, sitting down and picking up the little project she'd been working on: a small, kitted baby hat, made from soft white wool. As of yet, she hadn't got very far, but with so little else to occupy her she figured she may as well try and make some more progress. She knew she had some accounting work she needed to get done too, including looking over Arendelle's trading statistics for the year, but simply didn't have the willpower to look it over at that time.

She slowly began to knit a little more, relaxing into her chair as her mind wandered to the date. She hadn't been keeping track of what day it was but by now, it must have been nearing christmas. The eve of Christmas Eve, perhaps? No doubt, there would be all the christmas decorations up already back in the castle...

A knock sounded at the door, ripping Elsa from her somewhat concentrated state. When she answered, 'Come in', the captain all but ran into the room, eyes wide.

"Your Majesty!" he said, then stumbling into a quick bow.

"Whatever is the matter, Captain?" she asked, her heart pounding at the man's peculiarly flustered appearance. Nevertheless, her voice that of a true queen, very much in control and calm—until the last moment when the slightest trace of panic slipped through. "Is there something wrong?"

The captain nodded. "One of our men has just spotted a fleet of ships in the near distance. We fear they are those of the Southern Isles."

Elsa recoiled slightly as her heart plummetted. Standing quickly, she then rushed over to the door and pushed the captain aside, saying firmly, "Let me see."

The ships were quite a way away, so far that it was hard to firmly say what colour they were—but, with difficulty, it could be concluded that they were mostly purple. "There is quite a distance between us and them," she said with a sigh, then gesturing to the changes to her fleet that she had made with dark-coloured ice which made Arendelle's boats the same shape as those of the Southern Isles. "Unless they actually attack, I believe we should just leave them be."

The captain nodded. "Whatever you say, your Highness." He bowed, walking off to inform the other sailors, glancing back at the queen somewhat nervously. Ida, previously loitering around the deck, came over slowly just as Elsa made her way back into her cabin.

"Where do you think they are headed, your Majesty?" she asked, sparing a quick look backwards. "To Corona?"

Elsa thought for a minute, and then her face fell as she looked up to the sky.

"No, they were heading... North West. To get to Corona, they'd need to head dead North, which would suggest that..."

"You don't think..." Ida began, her brown eyes widening; Elsa bowed her head as she closed her eyes, a sharp kick in her groin making her groan.

"I do, Ida," she said as she recovered, sitting down and burying her head in her hands. "They're headed towards Arendelle."

* * *

"They really did a cracking job tidying this place up, eh?" Kristoff said, as he glanced around the ballroom in awe. Even after five years of living in the castle, the decorations which were put up for an event never ceased to amaze him.

"Yeah," Anna agreed, but her voice was heavy with sorrow and pain. Kristoff didn't need to ask what was troubling her; the same thoughts plagued his mind every moment. "But it just wont be the same without our family here."

"I know, Anna." Kristoff murmured as his face fell, and he pulled her into a warm hug stiffly. "But this will all be over soon, and then we'll be a proper family again. All of us."

Anna nodded slowly. "I know, I know." She muttered, but she didn't sound very convincing. Her voice shook with each syllable, and her lip was quivering, something Kristoff noticed quickly. He quickly moved forwards, placing a finger on her lips to stop her.

"Hey, hey. It'll end up fine. Don't you trust Elsa?"

"Sure, but—"

"Hey!" Narrowing his eyes at her slightly, Kristoff moved his hands to her shoulders and shook her slightly. "There's no time to be moping. Your sister'll sort this all out—and in the meantime, you've got a kingdom to organise."

Anna pulled away, nodding slowly. She had to fight to keep her voice steady as she spoke.

"Yeah, I guess. I've got a meeting with the advisors soon, actually." Sighing, she took a deep breath before looking up, trying to smile. "I'll never get through it without a strong glass of wine."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Anna," Kristoff murmured, but quickly rolled his eyes at her glare. "Fine, whatever. You go ahead; I'm gonna go see Sven."

"Suit yourself," Anna replied, sighing before plastering a fairly convincing smile back on her face and walking briskly from the room. She was in charge now; she had to at least be seen as being confident, even if she was far from it. But, unlike a smile, confidence was hard to feign when she felt so low and unoptimistic—but she tried anyway, walking down the corridors with her head held high.

For once, she didn't even stumble.

* * *

**First, to WildVirus: wow! They are lovely images, you did a great job! Thanks! :D**

**Now, this was more of a filler chapter before I'm off to guide camp tomorrow, so sorry about that, but I hope you liked it anyway! Please review, as well - last chapter I received very few reviews and after spending so long writing it, considering it was about triple the length of a normal chapter, I felt quite let down...**

**One thing I'd like to explain, is that though Elsa wanted to attack the other ships, she couldn't because she needs to get to the southern isles in good shape to attack them and then take the castle / drive Hans and Ayla out - only then can she stop the fighting at Corona and, in turn, at Arendelle, because Hans and Ayla are managing the whole operation. Does that make sense?**

**Please review! I won't be updating until I get back from "fun" guide camp, so please leave a comment - after being depressed for six days, I'm going to need something to cheer me up and get me writing again! (And if you do review, I'll promise to work hard to try and get the chapter posted within 2 days!)**

**Anyway, challenge time!**

**So, here's this chapter's challenge: Pick a famous / not-so-famous legend, whether it's a Greek one or whatever, it doesn't matter, and say what your favourite thing about the legend is. The best legend (as in, the best reason why you like the legend) will end up being included in the story at some point, so if you want a cyclops or something in here (remember, Ayla, Elsa and Mia have magic - anything can happen) then don't miss out on the chance!**

**(And don't forget to review if you don't care for legends either - I really like reviews! Pretty please! Please please please!)**

**Muahaha - if I don't get many reviews, something bad will happen... something really bad...**

**You have been warned...**

**-SG**


	35. Chapter 35 - dedicated to CdrRMF

_**"Suit yourself," Anna replied, sighing before plastering a fairly convincing smile back on her face and walking briskly from the room. She was in charge now; she had to at least be seen as being confident, even if she was far from it. But, unlike a smile, confidence was hard to feign when she felt so low and unoptimistic—but she tried anyway, walking down the corridors with her head held high.**_

_**For once, she didn't even stumble.**_

* * *

"Advanced training starts at one o'clock this afternoon, so please be here then." Anna paused in her speech as she looked out across the gathered crowd of men, not quite sure what to say next. "Umm... So that's all. Don't forget, one o'clock!"

Quickly turning, Anna hurried back inside before she could make even more of a fool of herself than she had already done, knowing that her speech skills had already let her down. Caught up in her thoughts, pondering whether it might have actually been beneficial to have written a speech, she didn't even notice the man stood before her as she crashed into him.

"Woah!" Kristoff's gasp was loud as he spun around, then grinning as he steadied his stumbling wife. "Careful there, feisty pants."

Anna gave a small squeak and looked away, blushing.

"Good speech, by the way."

Anna giggled. "Really?" She replied, raising her eyebrow and laughing at Kristoff's uncertain nod. "Hey, I don't care. I know I'm awful at speeches. You don't need to lie. What were you doing outside the door, by the way. Were you spying on me?"

"What will you do if I say I was?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing." Anna said, smiling sweetly—a little too sweetly. "But of course, if I do nothing, we can't have any fun, eh?" She winked cheekily as she stepped closer, eyes glinting as she looked up at him.

"You little minx," he teased. "Okay, I was spying. What now?"

Anna grinned, softly kissing Kristoff on the cheek before slamming her elbow into his side. "Tag!"

Running off laughing, Kristoff groaned as he doubled over. Quickly recovering from the initial shock, however, he quickly grinned and stood tall, running after her.

It was no coincidence that the game finished when Anna reached their bedroom—and Kristoff's reward for catching her was not hard to guess, either.

* * *

A low, pained moan sounded through the still, dank air of the cell. It echoed around, replayed over and over, gradually growing quieter and quieter with each repeat.

_What do they want with me?_ Odd thought for what must have been the millionth time, his hands curled into fists. _I can't be of any use to them now. Dagvin's dead; they don't need me to give them anymore answers._

He clenched his fists tighter, felt his blood boiling hot in the freezing cold room. His constant frustration and anger were the only thing that kept him alive, he was sure. His irate thoughts were the only things he had to focus on; without them, he would no doubt have slipped away.

_I can't believe I couldn't resist. I could have killed Elsa, or Anna or Kristoff. Or little Mia, if they've found her yet._

Odd moaned again, his whole body feeling like lead. By now he'd lost all sensation in arms which were tied behind his back, holding up all of his weight; it was by nothing more than a miracle that they had not yet dislocated. His eyes were blindfolded, and breathing was difficult in the atrocious air which both burned his throat and tore it to pieces with every breath. It was only made even worse by the position he was held in; with so much weight pulling down on his rib cage, taking a breath was evil.

A small creak sounded from the doorway, and though he hated himself for it, Odd felt his heart beat a tiny bit faster, relieved. He knew what came when someone came into the cell—he'd be let down for just a few minutes, enough time to keep him alive.

He hated being so dependant.

He bit back a sigh as he felt the ropes being held together tightly and then slashed. His legs, resting gently on a small wooden block, gave way at the extra weight; smashing onto the cold stone floor, he could only gasp as a new pain, sharper and more immediate, raced through his side. But equally he couldn't help but relish in the feeling of breathing freely again, blood rushing through his veins as his hands were tied behind his back.

The familiar sound of a metal plate being placed upon the rock sounded, and Odd felt a surge of relief when the guard pulled his blindfold off. The Danish man then took off—to return in just a few minutes, no doubt.

Odd shuffled over to the plate and began to eat awkwardly, his eyes blazing at the thought of havign to eat like a dog; with his hands tied behind his back still, he had no other choice. And, as he ate, his thoughts wandered back to his wife and family.

_That intruder had better not have hurt them, _he thought savagely, a thought striking him as he ate quickly—a thought he, surprisingly, had never had before, his entire body too weak normally to really think. But today, he'd been let down earlier than usual; he wasn't quite so broken. _What if he raped her?_

The wheels in mind began to turn quickly, his anger suddenly building. Clenching his fists harder than he ever had before, blood trickled down his wrists as he looked about the cave, his eyes landing on one particularly rough section of wall. Then clambering to his feet, he stumbled forwards before beginning to grate the rope up against it, feeling the freedom of his arms releasing soon after.

Standing up straight, Odd pulled his arms forward painfully and stretched, gritting his teeth. An amazing sense of power coursed through his body that he hadn't felt in a long time.

He was not going to let himself fall back under the Southern Isles' control again.

* * *

**Firstly, thank you to everyone who offered an idea for a legend, and I will be incorporating one of them later on somehow, don't fret! **

**Next, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter - I read a couple during the week at camp when I could get a sneak peek on the internet, and it really brightened my mood, so thank you! I hope this chapter, with the presence of Odd, made up for the fact that I haven't updated for a ****week.**

**Anyway, for a challenge, let's talk about Elsa's baby shall we?**

**What do you want to see happen with the baby - will it be a single child or multiple children? Will it have powers, or not? What gender(s)? And anything else you can think of.**

**I'd like to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment along with a review!**

**Thanks again, and remember, if anyone wants to make some art, or anything else, for this then please do! Just make sure to ask first, I'll probably say yes anyway, but it's always best to check.**

**Thanks,**

**-SG**


	36. Chapter 36 - for all my reviewers

Odd could feel his blood pumping through his veins, more powerful than any natural disaster. Sweat coated his palms and his neck from nervous anticipation, and a primal desire—no, need—to destroy every last person who had threatened his family took him over, plaguing his mind with hate filled thoughts.

In the distance, Odd could make out the slight thumping of the guard's boots upon the cold stone floor, muffled by the heavy wooden door. There was no way he could move it on his own, especially thin as he was; he'd have to improvise when the time was right.

Sound echoed in the caves as the gears in Odd's head began to turn. Taking a deep breath, he then jumped into action as he tied a knot in the thin, baggy shirt which he'd been made to wear, so that it fitted tightly. He then braced his foot up against the wall of the cave to the left of the door. Grunting, he reached across to the other wall, resting the remainder of his weight on his hands and, with a considerable effort, placed his remaining foot upon the stone, so that he was completely suspended.

Odd could hear the men's voices drawing nearer, and he carefully, but quickly, began to scale the wall, using the rough crevices and outcrops as supports, much like a very difficult climbing wall. His foot slipped multiple times, and his sweaty palms did little to help him up.

Still, the thought of getting free urged him on. With convulsing limbs, he groaned as he pulled himself up, breathing heavily after the climb. By now, the guards were but a few metres away, and as the door creaked open, Odd could feel his heart palpatating faster than he ever remembered. Recently, the only time which could have been similarly bad was when he was attacked by the Southern Isles' guards.

The door creaked open, and Odd took a deep breath quickly, holding it with all of his will. The guards, three of them, filed into the room; not seeing their prisoner they immediately began to murmur, looking about wildly.

Odd felt his lungs burning and he squeezed his eyes shut at the discomfort, willing the guards to search the other end of the room to give him a chance to get out. But he had no such luck; the smallest guard turned his way almost immediately. Stalking forwards, he then grinned as he laid eyes on the balancing prisoner—but had no chance to yell out as Odd leapt down, grabbing the guard's arm and spinning around him, thrusting him backwards and taking the propulsion to speed himself forwards.

He didn't dare look around; he just ran. He could hear the shouts of the guards behind, but they were muffled as adrenaline coursed through his body. He smashed into a door at the end of the corridor, wincing as the force of the impact threw it wide open with a deafening thud as it hit the wall opposite. Still he didn't look back, pushing her screaming body harder than he could ever remember. This was his one chance to escape, and he was not about to blow it.

Scrambling over the steep, uneven floor of the cave, Odd struggled to keep his balance, to not trip over and fall. But with every step he took forward, he could feel his body beginning to awaken, the air growing crisper with each passing second, giving him a new life and a new sense of power which he hadn't had before. His limbs burned with a new need to just run; his eyes shot open, taking everything in with a new sense of clarity.

Turning a corner sharply, gripping the wall to make the turn without falling, Odd could have almost shouted in glee from the welcome energy his body had granted him. A second later, though, he stopped short, skidding to a sudden halt when he saw a guard standing in the middle of the corridor, glaring daggers and grinning coldly. He was a large, burly man, not one who could be easily intimidated. He had a short, fat little neck, but that was the only part of him which could be considered small - the rest of his body was bulked up to at least three, maybe four, times the size of a normal man's.

Odd gulped, hearing his pursuers come to a stop behind him. Freezing for a minute, he then gave a bellow and galloped forwards, running straight towards the guard before leaping to the side just before him. But it was to no avail; the guard grabbed him in an instant, looping a rope around his neck and jerking it backwards, making Odd scream and yell as he gasped involuntarily.

"Got you!" the guard growled. "Come on, get moving."

Gasping again as he was jerked forwards, Odd glanced around, his sharp eyes soon landing on a sharp fragment of wood shattered in the doorway, and he grinned. Slowly, he inched his way to the left as he was heaved forwards; before he could be pulled away from his one chance, he leapt onto the shard. The rope sliced cleanly in two and fell to the floor, as Odd felt his neck be slashed down the side, a layer of skin torn off.

Blood splashed on the floor and, as they felt the rope slacken, the guards span to see their prisoner free once again. Odd groaned, immediately running as fast as he could, fully embracing the fact that it was now or never.

His feet pounded against the uneven ground once again, blood flowing from his neck in a stream. Unable to do anything to slow the flow, he then ran ever faster, his unfit and fragile body agonised. He could hear the heavy footsteps of all four guards behind him, barely ten metres back, but he could also see blue sky barely fifty metres away; he was unfit and fragile, but being light at least gave him a slight advantage.

He struggled forward, bumbling along like an excited child—although his excitement was more to do with the fact that he might not be caught again, might not die a slow and painful death as he had been before. Because that was what it had been; pushing his body to the point of near death, and then letting him recover very slightly to do it all over again. Similar to drowning someone then reviving them, just to drown them again.

Pure, sick, twisted torture. But boy, did it work.

Barely a few metres to go, and Odd could hear the footsteps of the men closing in behind him, could almost feel their heavy breaths against his neck. And then he felt his world come crashing down as his caught on a crevice in the tunnel's floor. Sent falling, his world then turned black as he slowly plummeted to the ground, almost imagining he could smell the sweet scent of his wife as he descended.

* * *

Elsa leapt around the corner, surveying the situation for the briefest of moments before sending a blast of ice towards three large, muscled men. She felt no remorse at all; the only thing she cared about was the falling man before her.

Rushing forwards, she managed to catch him before his body hit the ground, her heart was pounding ten-to-the-dozen in her chest. Then sinking to the floor, she cradled the injured man—barely heavier than a boy—as tears of both happiness and terror cascaded down her pale cheeks. Waving her hand, an icy bandage wrapped itself around his neck, enough to stem the blood flow without suffocating him.

He was too heavy for her to carry on her own, that much she knew. Laying him down on the floor tenderly, she then rose to her feet and took a shaky breath, rushing to the cave's mouth and motioning for the rest of her small party of soldiers, waiting at the base of a rocky set of stairs carved into the cliff.

Rushing back inside, she placed a very gentle kiss on her husband's forehead, cradling his head once again. "Come on, Odd..." she whispered, her hand trembling. Her voice caught in her throat as she saw the blood staining the icy bandage, saw Odd's chest rise and fall weakly at an irregular, concerning rate. "Come back to me."

He was extremely pale. In the light of the sun, Elsa could make out every single bone of his body, could see the dark bags under his eyes, the scars across his arms, face, chest, and legs.

He was so thin, so very thin, and so pale and weak...

"Please..." Her voice was barely audible, more a sigh, a silent plea to any higher power above to have mercy upon him. He'd been through too much already.

* * *

**I'm so sorry, I'm despicable for uploading this late... I've been writing from 11:00pm to 2:00 am straight, and I'm exhausted.**

**So, this is a repeat challenge, because I'm too tired to think of an original one now. So, choose a word, any words, and I'll include it somewhere in the next chapter. (if you post the word before I finish writing the chapter of course)**

**So, yeah. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you soon (if I ever wake up, I'm so tired I might pull a 'sleeping beauty'. If I don't update in the next month, I'm either dead, being really lazy or asleep.**

**Night / morning!**

**-SG**

**(p.s. No chapter dedication today, sorry - I'm too tired to be bothered. Haha, I'm evil. Sorry!)**


	37. 37 - dedicated to Elsathesnowqueen

_**He was extremely pale. In the light of the sun, Elsa could make out every single bone of his body, could see the dark bags under his eyes, the scars across his arms, face, chest, and legs.**_

_**He was so thin, so very thin, and so pale and weak...**_

_**"Please..." Her voice was barely audible, more a sigh, a silent plea to any higher power above to have mercy upon him. He'd been through too much already.**_

* * *

Elsa stood out on the deck, glancing around the large cave in which her fleet was hidden. They were so very close to the Southern Isles now, but it was too bright to dare attacking them today. They needed to wait until a dark, foggy night sky emerged, so that they could sneak closer to the kingdom without being detected. As it was, they were about an hour's journey away; it was key that the sky be monitored for any sign of change.

As she sat at the ship's stern, looking out over the large expanse of glittering ocean, she sighed, and her mind trailed to thinking of her husband, something she'd been trying not to do. Odd had been in such a bad condition earlier that morning and though she had complete faith in the doctor, she couldn't help but worry. He was battered and bruised from his attempt at escape, and it looked like there were multiple, older wounds from whatever horrific things he'd been through.

Elsa shivered at the thought of Odd's last few months; though there was no signs of a physical beating, it was obvious that he had been through absolute hell. He had tight rope burns around his wrists and, according to the doctor, his arms were very close to being dislocated; she could only imagine the rest of the wounds he must have sustained.

Her head shot up as she heard the door to her cabin creak open. Spinning around, she then hopped off the side of the ship to see the doctor standing in the doorway, frowning at her.

"You know, your Majesty," he said, "but you should be more careful, especially in your condition. It's bad enough coming to battle with us; the least you could do, and forgive me for saying so, would be to take care of yourself in the meantime."

"Sorry, Doctor," she said, feeling like a small child being scolded. It seemed ironic that most people of her status would have been the one doing the admonishing, but Elsa was not like other monarchs; she was a lot more empathetic than most, and prided herself on it, too. As a child, she had always held out hope that someone would come along one day, would rescue her from the prison of her room. That they would offer the one thing that no one, at the time, seemed to be able to give her.

They could give her diamonds. They could lend her their wisdom, teaching her about all the different constellations in the great night sky, and other pointless, yet admittedly fascinating, things. They could give her a false sense of hope, could numb her pain with promises of a brighter future; one in which she could control her powers, where _no one would know her secret_.

But what was it all for? There was always something missing.

_Freedom_.

Letting her mind fall back into reality, she blinked a few times to clear her head. She did not particularly want to ask how Odd was faring, scared he'd be unwell, instead settling for simply prompting an answer from the medic.

Following her gaze as she looked over his shoulder, the doctor sighed. "He's in a very poor condition, still very weak from his ordeal. I can't do much for him yet."

Nodding, her lips tight, Elsa ignored the doctor's protests as she walked over to the edge of the ship, sitting on the side and watching the sun setting once again.

* * *

Mia paused outside of the Queen's personal chamber, knocking so softly that it would have been hard for one to hear even if they sat right next to the door. Still, it opened almost right away; the Queen stood there, looking panicked and flustered.

"Come, Mia, come!" she whispered, beckoning for the child to come inside. Slowly Mia followed, feeling more and more intrigued, and slightly scared too.

What was going on?

* * *

Odd groaned as he sat up slowly, feeling his head spin. Behind his closed eyes, he could detect a bright, warm glow; he slowly he raised his eyelids, so that he could see the blinding light from the fire. He then blinked rapidly a few times and his vision swam; he had to fall back on his shoulders to stop himself from simply rolling off the bed from dizziness.

A soft crooning sound reached his ears as he lay down, and he could feel a cloth being dabbed across his forehead. The touch was softer than the doctor's, and mixed with a slightly cold touch which he recognised straight away.

"Elsa..?" he croaked out, his voice rough and scratchy in his throat. It had so long since he'd said a word; he could barely recognise himself.

"Hey, there," she said, grinning, her heart overflowing with relief that he was awake. "Had a nice sleep?"

Odd groaned as a wave of dizziness overcame him, and Elsa rubbed some more solution on his forehead, making him sigh in relief. "Hardly," he said. "I feel like I've been thrown down the side of a mountain or something."

Elsa smiled softly. "I can imagine," she said, gently, leaning down to softly kiss his cheek; with every second she felt her heart beginning to beat faster, nervously. "You gave us a right scare when we found you."

Odd frowned slightly. "Us?" He said, not quite understanding, "You mean you and the crew?"

Elsa paused, removing her hand from Odd's forehead as she felt it begin to shake.

"Yes," she said, speaking slowly. "Me, the crew, and..."

Odd felt his eyes grow heavy again, and his hearing was muffled.

"And the baby."

His eyes slowly slid shut, but there was no denying what he'd heard. And when he slipped out of consciousness once again, his body was much, much more alive, much stronger, than it had been before.

* * *

"Mia!" The Queen's whispers were urgent. "You must get out of here! Run away!"

Soft footsteps in the hallway. The Queen immediately gasped, grabbing the little Princess' hands and holding them tightly.

"You'll be okay, but you must get out of here. Come with me."

Shooting up from her chair, the queen dragged Mia across to the other end of the room, to the largest glass window. Pushing it open, she ushered the child to sit on the ledge. Frowning, Mia did so cautiously, gripping on tightly as the woman whispered in her ear hastily, "Be brave, Princess." She softly kissed her head, finishing with, "Trust your heart, and you'll be okay."

Then, without warning, she pushed the child. Mia gasped, writhing for a minute as the window closed before getting a small grip. Clinging to the roof, she could only whimper, frozen in fear.

_Trust your heart, and you'll be okay._

Mia wasn't quite sure what the Queen had meant, but she trusted the motherly woman, certain of the fact that she wouldn't hurt her. She soon realised her little arms were too weak to hold her up, especially with the lethal ice which burst across the tiles from her hand. And so, ever so slowly, she let her fingers slip, squeezing her eyes shut and crying out quietly as she fell.

Landing with a thud in a massive pile of old hay, Mia heard a scream coming from the room where she'd been not moments before, her heart thudding heavily in her chest. Not pausing for a minute, she quickly scrambled away, then standing still for a moment as she tried her best to figure out where she was.

And she ran.

* * *

**First of all, I tried to include everyone's words, but some I could just not fit in - sorry! Still, it was good fun!**

**Next, sorry that this chapter was a bit late again, I'm a terrible person... :(**

**Anyway, I haven't got much to say this chapter, it's half past midnight and I'm exhausted. So... yeah :P**

**Challenge for this chapter:**

**Can you think of any new challenges? ****(Wow, inventive)**

**Yeah, that's it for this chapter, and please review - can't you just hear that review box calling your name?**

**(P.S. Guests CAN review, you don't need to make an account to do so! Teehee, so no excuses!)**


	38. Chapter 38 - dedicated to A Foolish Fool

_**Landing with a thud in a massive pile of old hay, Mia heard a scream coming from the room where she'd been not moments before, her heart thudding heavily in her chest. Not pausing for a minute, she quickly scrambled away, then standing still for a moment as she tried her best to figure out where she was.**_

_**And she ran.**_

* * *

Elsa watched as her fleet drew ever closer to the kingdom of the Southern Isles, partially hidden by the black night sky and the dim light of the new moon. She could feel her hands trembling slightly; a thin layer of sweat had settled in droplets upon her palms.

Taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself, she looked at the calendar on her wall and sighed. It was a Sunday, that she knew for certain. More significantly, it was Sunday 25th; Christmas Day, and she was missing it for this.

Walking over to where Odd was sleeping quietly, no longer unconscious but just exhausted, she perched down on the edge of the bed. Slowly flicking her fingers, she watched quietly as a small, icy holly wreath materialised on the bed post. Then smiling slightly at her work, distracted from her worries for just a moment, she relaxed momentarily.

She wondered what Anna was doing now. Had she and Kristoff exchanged Christmas gifts, eaten a massive roast lunch with turkey or goose, or had they done something else? Had they, perhaps, done nothing at all, too sad without the rest of their family there to celebrate the occasion?

With a drawn out sigh, she rose from the mattress and, with one last glance at Odd to make sure that he was still okay, she began to make her way to the door.

Timing was key in the plan—if they waited too long, they'd be detected and slaughtered. It was important to strike at just the right moment, so that they could make an impact on the kingdom before they could fully comprehend what was happening, so that they could destroy their defenses before the people could react.

Slowly, Elsa blew out the only lit candle in the room, which hung next to the exit, before carefully closed the door so as to not awake Odd. Placing her palm on the wood, she let it rest for a minute before slowly pulling herself away.

She didn't want to know how close they were, to be honest. After all, there was so much truth ingrained in the old saying, _ignorance is bliss_. Elsa only wished she could keep that ignorance for as long as possible.

* * *

Mia whimpered quietly as she lay in a ball under a small, evergreen bush at the edge of one of the many villages. She'd always found happiness when she looked out of her window at the cottages below, for they reminded her of home; after hearing the screams of the Queen, Arendelle felt like the haven it had been before she was kidnapped. She wasn't sure that she believed what she'd been told about being punished any more; still, everything was so confusing for her immature brain to puzzle out.

"Please, take me home... I just want go home..."

Curling up in a tighter ball, wondering why the Queen had made her leave now and not before, or not after, she winced as the prickly spikes of the bush scratched at her bare skin. She was only wearing a thin dress; as a result, her soft skin was torn to pieces. She'd felt so much worse pain in her short life, but that didn't mean she was immune to suffering.

She so wished she could get out from under the bush, but she knew that she couldn't. She was exhausted from running away from the castle, and now that it was dark, she couldn't keep going. At least under here, she was somewhat hidden from whatever nasties might have been lurking.

Digging her fingers into the dirt below her, she began to scratch away, trying to make a deeper hole in which she could lie in. The bush clawed at her skin again as she moved, more tears falling with a splash upon the ground as she scraped it away, desperate for relief.

Finally, her arms bloody from scrapes and tired from the manual labour, she gave up, watching the stars twinkling in the night sky through gaps in the leaves.

_Please... _she begged silently in her mind, _Please help me..._

* * *

Odd's eyes opened slowly, his head swimming for a minute in dizziness. He felt exhausted, each of his limbs seeming to be filled with lead, and he had to heave on his legs to get them to slide out from under the covers to rest on the floor. Groaning, he placed his hands behind him and pushed up with his limited strength, managing to stand up on just the second attempt, although he did wobble a bit, and fell over soon after, coming to a rest as his arm smashed against the wall.

Pushing himself up, wincing at the fresh, throbbing pain in his shoulder, he forced himself away from the side of the cabin and stumbled towards the door on the other end of the room, feeling foolish at his lack of co-ordination. His mind was fuzzy, his body not quite with it yet. Though he could feel something trying to sneak to the front of his brain, something important and new which he couldn't help but feel he should remember, he couldn't quite place his finger on what it was.

Pausing by the set of drawers, Odd rested his hand on top to steady himself as his legs wobbled threateningly. Taking a few breaths, he then closed his eyes and felt his mind ache again from the memory which was pressing against his brain. Softly pounding against the dresser in his frustration, he gritted his teeth just before something soft landed on his foot.

Opening his eyes, he glanced down, and was surprised to see a small ball of wool laying next to it. Shrugging it off, he then slowly made his way over to the door. Just as he placed his hand on the handle, though, something caught his eye; turning slowly around to look over to the small shelf near the door, he stumbled over to it unsteadily, squinting a little on his way. When he reached it, he had no choice but to place his hand quickly against the wall to steady himself.

After a few seconds, he reached forward, picking up the small item—a tiny knitted hat, only slightly larger than his palm.

_"Yes. Me, the crew, and..." _Odd's breath caught in his throat as he remembered what Elsa had said when he was last conscious. _"The baby..."_

* * *

Eugene laughed as he ran up to his wife, grabbing her and spinning her around, making her laugh as Corona's great church rung its bell loudly.

"Hey, Blondie!" he shouted, much too loud than was necessary. "Something tells me we've got a victory to announce!"

"I think everyone just heard you, Eugene!" she teased, but rushed out to the balcony nonetheless. For the past few hours, she'd waited by the doors diligantly; Arendelle's soldiers had been useless, but the help from the navy had just won them the war. With the surviving Southern Isles' men trapped in Corona, there was no way they could keep up the fight now; they'd had no choice but to surrender, something met with great joy for the Coronians. No doubt the enemy soldiers would be hiding away somewhere by now, maybe trying to swim away from the kingdom before they could be attacked by angry villagers wanting revenge.

Rapunzel smiled as she reached the edge of the balcony and looked out over her kingdom. Things were beginning to look up.

* * *

Slowly standing up, using the wall for support, Odd placed the hat back on the shelf and closed his eyes, still trying to take in this new information. Head pounding once more, he slipped down to the ground and buried his hands, trying to think past the burning in his mind. But he had less than a few minutes to himself as, a couple of moments later, the door opened slowly. And, lo, there stood Elsa, as beautiful as ever despite her evident fatigue—and with a rounded stomach to seal the deal.

Looking about rapidly, Elsa's eyes softened once she found him, having been terrified of where he'd gone. Rushing over, she then bent down to give him a hand, pulling him up—but when she noticed where he was looking, she glanced away, fiddling with her fingers nervously.

But Odd, overcome with joy that she was safe, immediately gave her the biggest grin he could. Pulling her into a massive embrace, he breathed in the smell of her deeply, beaming. Sighing, Elsa quickly rested her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes.

* * *

**Okay, sorry this chapter's late... for some reason, only half of you read the last chapter, so I was hoping if I gave you a bit more time you'd all have time to read it.  
**

**Next, in review to JuneBTeacher, yeah, school does get in the way of things, doesn't it :P (of course, for different reasons for each of us but that's not the point)**

**Okay, I haven't got much to say this chapter, but we need a challenge...**

**So, thanks to unicorns (guest) for this challenge, choose your favourite song, and i'll try to either incorporate the lyrics or the title in the next chapter!**

**See you!**

**-SG**

_**A picture of sophisticated grace...**_


	39. Chapter 39 - dedicated to BlackKnght

_**Looking about rapidly, Elsa's eyes softened once she found him, having been terrified of where he'd gone. Rushing over, she then bent down to give him a hand, pulling him up—but when she noticed where he was looking, she glanced away, fiddling with her fingers nervously.**_

_**But Odd, overcome with joy that she was safe, immediately gave her the biggest grin he could. Pulling her into a massive embrace, he breathed in the smell of her deeply, beaming. Sighing, Elsa quickly rested her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes.**_

* * *

Mia gasped quietly as she was shocked from her sleep by two very familiar pairs of piercing blue and green eyes, just a reflection of them on the silver blade of a sword. As she curled into a smaller ball under her little bush, she could swear she still heard the slash the weapon made as it cut sharply through the still air.

She shivered as she felt the spikes brush against her already torn-up young skin, wincing again as she pressed her body closer to the ground. Barely a few months ago, her life was great and she was without a care, and now she was running from a bunch of psychotic royals.

It was still dark outside, so Mia figured that she couldn't have been asleep for long, meaning that she had to stay here longer, something which she did not relish in the slightest; had she not been through enough pain already?

Supposedly not.

She sighed, and there was a longing in the sound, a desperate plea for freedom. She'd had enough; she just wanted to go home, to go somewhere she would be appreciated and, more significantly, _loved_. Hans and Ayla may have acted like they cared for her, but she wasn't so sure anymore.

She just didn't understand.

Peering out from under the bush, Mia could just make out the shape of a large dog coming towards her, black against the dark night sky, and she had to squint to make the hound out. She felt her heart begin to beat faster as it came closer, until she could just make out it's wet nose, pressed up against the ground.

She scrambled backwards, breathing heavily. At home, Seier had always been able to sniff her out for her parents when she was hiding; she had no doubt that this hound was doing the exact same thing. That could mean only one thing... This dog was tracking her, and that meant he must have been sent to do so.

She'd been caught.

She gasped as the dog's muzzle appeared under the bottom of the bush. Squirming, she tried, without success, to wriggle away as the hound took her dress in its teeth and dragged her out. She cried as she felt her whole body get torn to pieces by the spikes as she was roughly pulled from her hiding place, and when she looked up she felt her breath catch in her throat.

Her legs flailed as she managed to land a kick on the hound's nose; the dog yelped loudly, dropping Mia as he jumped back before beginning to growl darkly, angered now. The Princess backed up, and she had to force herself to look at the man before her.

Hans stood there in front of her, his arms folded and his expression furious, his piercing green eyes filled with a cold hatred that Mia had only ever noticed in her dreams.

Screaming loudly, she scrambled backwards. The hound snarled as he pounced on her, encouraged into action by her sudden movements. She then out an agonized yell of pain as the dog latched onto the bottom of her dress, its teeth scraping down her ankle. Blood quickly began to rise to the surface, and it soon began to flow down her foot, hot and thick; she whimpered as she felt the tears running down her cheeks like a waterfall.

"Get off!" she yelled between tears, reaching forwards desperately to slap the dog away, the pain in her ankle unbearable. Then placing her hand on the dog's nose as she tried to push it off, she felt her fingers cool over. From her palm a small snowflake materialized, immediately melting on the wet nose. The mutt paused for a second, stiffening; a moment later it shuddered, letting go of Mia's ankle and making her cry out in both pain and relief.

Hans snarled as his dog stopped trying to get Mia and simply sat there, looking around panting. The hound yelped as he was roughly shoved away; Hans took over, stalking towards Mia.

"I thought you were more sensible than to run away," he snapped, his voice cold and sharp, cutting like a sword. "Now look what's happened."

He gestured to Mia's bleeding ankle, and she whined in pain and fear again as she scrambled backwards. She desperately tried to bring forth another snowflake, but she couldn't seem to get her magic to obey her commands.

Hans' expression softened now, and he smiled at her in a sickly sweet way. "Come on. Let's get back to the castle, and we can get the doctor to help you. I'm sorry for shouting, I was just worried."

For a second, Hans' soft tone reassured Mia, and she was just about to crawl towards him. But then she saw a flash of green in her mind again, and her own eyes widened in fear.

"No!" she cried, and a beam of ice shot from her palm unintentionally, hitting one of Hans' fingers but not causing much damage. He groaned in discomfort as the finger froze up, but the attack only served to fuel his anger.

"Oh, damnit! I've had enough!" he yelled, reaching for her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her up to a standing position. "You are coming with me back to the castle!"

Mia cried out as Hans began to drag her back to the castle, the weight of her body upon her injured ankle causing her great agony. The prince only tightened his grip on her wrist at her moans and complaints, pulling her more forcefully and harshly whispering to her to be quiet.

Mia squeezed her eyes shut as she struggled onwards and tried to flex her fingers, hoping to create one of her special snowflakes, but without any long after, she felt her injured ankle give way, but Hans still did not falter, simply deciding to drag the poor child across the cold, stony floor, and her already battered skin was torn up even more. For Mia, the end of the day had often been a quiet, calming time, but now, the peace the evening had always brought was nowhere to be found.

_I need you, Mama, _She whispered in her mind, as the pain made her head swim, _Save me, Papa..._

A loud bang resounded in the distance, and Mia felt the grip on her wrist slacken off and disappear as she collapsed onto the floor in a dead faint, unconscious, the pain simple too much for her small body, which has seen so much horror, to cope with.

* * *

Elsa watched as the cannons began to fire relentlessly on the kingdom of the Southern Isles, and as her fleet drew near enough to shoot specific targets, she could hear the faint sound of terrified screams. It horrified her that she had to do this, but she knew there was nothing else that could be done. Not only had they attacked Corona, no doubt killing many of Rapunzel's people in the process, but they had also kidnapped a Prince and Princess.

Something had to be done.

She looked out of the window, staring blankly ahead as she listened to the lapping of the waves, and Odd's steady breathing in his lightly-dozing state.

"Your Majesty!" the Captain called from the doorway to her cabin. "The rowboat is ready to go."

It hadn't been necessary for her to go, but she would have felt terrible if she didn't, feeling responsible for the recovery of the child. Besides, she didn't really trust anyone else with her sister's daughter, did not want to cause her any more pain after all she'd been through.

"Of course. I'm coming," she said, nodding her head as the Captain left to await her arrival outside. Softly taking Odd's hand in hers, she placed a soft kiss on the top of it before she felt him move. Squinting his eyes open, he then rested his palm softly upon her cheek.

"Wait," Odd said slowly, "I'll come with you..."

Elsa shook her head, as she pushed his hand away and smiled at him sadly. "We both know you haven't the strength for it, Odd," she said. "I'll go get Mia, and then I'll be right back. I need you to stay here and help, if you can. You're good with dealing with injuries; please, if you insist on helping, then stay here and help treat anyone injured."

Odd bowed his head in resignation. "I lost you once... don't let it happen again? Please?"

Elsa softly kissed her fingers, and then touched them to his forehead.

"I promise," she whispered, and Odd moved his hand to rest on her stomach for just a second, and he smiled as he drifted back off to sleep. Elsa smiled, knowing that despite his state of fatigue he'd always do his best to help anyone who was sick. The doctor was talented, no doubt, but Odd understood pain and injuries from the lifestyle he had led before he met Elsa. Even without schooling, he had a way with helping wounds to heal.

* * *

**Okay, a quick confession, I did change the lyrics you guys submitted to actually fit the style of the story (it's not a first person story, and considering most songs are first person, I did have to change them a little. But I tried my best!). I also changed a few words to fit the tense this story's written in as well, but the basics are there still!**

**Songs (in order):**

**Saviour (by Skillet)**

**Royals (by Lorde)**

**Lanterns (by BirdsOfTokyo)**

**Safe and Sound (by Taylor Swift)**

**Can You Feel the Love Tonight (by Elton John, from the Lion King)**

**A Thousand Miles (by David Archuleta)**

**Some of you might be a little bit sad that I didn't use your songs as you'd have liked, but I did my best to include all of them - I only missed one! Yay!**

**Anyway, this was quite a depressing chapter... The bit with Elsa and Odd wasn't so bad, but it wasn't nice having to hurt Mia again. I'm sorry - please don't hurt me! It was Hans, not me!**

**Anyway, we need a challenge...**

**Okay, so first things first, I can't think of any inventive challenges... Please help!  
**

**So, for this chapter, I'm doing a repeat challenge: using the letters in the word 'affection' (bit depressing...) to make nine other words, and i'll try to include at least one of them in the next chapter. For example, you could choose words like Anger, Forever, Flames, Engaging, Chocolate, Tornado, Injury, Oranges, Nocturnal. Try not to make them _too_ weird though, or I won't be able to include many, but I enjoy a challenge.**

**See you soon,**

**\- SG**


	40. Chapter 40 - dedicated to BlackKngth

_**"I promise," she whispered, and Odd moved his hand to rest on her stomach for just a second, and he smiled as he drifted back off to sleep. Elsa smiled, knowing that despite his state of fatigue he'd always do his best to help anyone who was sick. The doctor was talented, no doubt, but Odd understood pain and injuries from the lifestyle he had led before he met Elsa. Even without schooling, he had a way with helping wounds to heal.**_

* * *

Mia whimpered as she watched the kingdom's defences be blown to pieces and gasped as they were shattered into thousands of tiny fragments, the debris flying everywhere. Whimpering, she made more ice to cover her heel, something which stopped the blood flow and, thankfully, she found to be slightly soothing. Moaning, she then crawled away slowly, dragging herself up the hill that stood before her, blocking her escape.

She moaned as she slowly tried to haul herself up, but soon gave up her endeavour. Instead she settled for sitting down part way up the hill, watching the carnage before her.

The moon's glow glinted off of the water, just about illuminating the ships which approached. They were so familiar; they were from home! Mia felt her heart soar at the prospect of being rescued, and it took all of her will power to not jump into the sea and try to swim over to them. But she couldn't do that, sadly; she didn't even know how to stay afloat.

Glancing back down to the kingdom, she frowned again as she saw the destruction her kingdom's ships were causing. The carnage didn't help alleviate Mia's fears; though she was sure that the Elsa she'd seen before who had attacked her could not have been real, she was still scared. She had a feeling it would still take her a long time to get over everything that she'd been through since being kidnapped, and she still had nightmares from the torture she'd experienced in the caves... Seeing her family again, the family she'd originally believed were punishing her in the hardest way possible, was sure to be hard.

Curling up, she watched silently as she surveyed the kingdom, closing her eyes. She'd had enough pain, and she didn't want to be responsible for herself anymore. She needed someone else to save her from all the horrors she'd seen.

Slowly, she opened her eyes again as a soft, **enchantingly** beautiful sound reached her ears. She looked upwards in disbelief as a small bird came into her line of vision, singing with its beautiful voice in a comforting, almost **familiar **way, which made the girl smile slightly. The presence of the friendly creature made her heart soar in happiness, and when it came nearer, she noticed something strange - small snowflakes seemed to be following it, and the bird itself... Well, it looked to be made of ice and snow.

Mia gasped, knowing full well that she hadn't made it appear. That could only mean one thing;her Aunt had sent her a sign, a reminder to stay strong. She smiled as the bird landed on her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek, chirping sweetly, and the little Princess sat up straighter, her eyes shining full of hope. She softly stroked the little bird, and her thoughts wandered to the **future, **and what would come in the **aftermath** of all this.

The bird was a sign that **freedom** would be hers soon. She should never have doubted that her family would get her, and now, she understood just how much she **appreciated** both of her parents, and her aunt and uncle, for what they had done for her.

**Forgetting** about her previous concerns, she sighed a little more happily, and though the rest of the kingdom was being destroyed as the Arendellian forces attempted to get in, her own little world was absolutely fine.

* * *

Ayla frowned as she heard an explosion somewhere in the distance. Slowly getting to her feet, she strolled casually over to the window, smiling as she thought about the day she'd had. Though she was not one for overly cheerful, soppy days, which was a category she had always placed the celebration of Christmas into, she couldn't deny that this day really had been better than she'd expected. Before Hans had gone out earlier on in the evening, when he went searching for the little Princess after she'd run off, he'd actually been pretty good to her, and had shown her how to truly enjoy the event. Of course, the fact that she'd truly been treated as a Princess that day did help, what with all the castle's servants swooning over her on her host's request.

Though she frowned upon Princess Anna of Arendelle for being so naïve, she could finally understand why she'd been so taken by Hans. He certainly was a charming devil.

Especially in bed.

A slight shiver of pleasure shot through her as she remembered how her afternoon had been spent. It had definitely been eventful, and very, very enjoyable.

Another bang resounded outside the castle, and now, Ayla could just hear the sound of panicked screams mixed in with them. She rushed to the window faster as more and more rapid explosions sounded outside. She glanced out of the window quickly and gasped at what she saw; canonballs raining down upon the kingdom's defences.

Her eyes spun towards the sea and hardened as she glared at the fleet of ships advancing quickly, disguised by the darkness of the night. She snarled, and her fist smashed through the glass, shattering it as she dived out of the castle. Spinning in midair and landing on her feet as she skidded down the roof, leaping off the edge just before she fell, she caught the wind in mid air and using her magic to help her glide until she landed on the other side of the castle, by the stables.

Running through the town, she whistled for her black shire and skilfully leapt onto the animal's back when it galloped over to her side. Kicking the mare on with a painful squeeze to her side, Ayla kept her eyes on the horizon, making sure not to lose sight of the ships attacking the kingdom. This wasn't part of the plan!

Ayla gasped as a canon ball smashed through a house just before her, and she jerked on her horse's reins to steer them away. Splinters of wood flew through the air, and Ayla winced as the shards slashed her cheek, while her mount galloped faster, her own body battered and bleeding. The great shire was not put off, however, but angered, and she ran harder, faster, in response.

"Ayla!" A familiar voice rang out across the wind, and though she did not slow down at all, she listened still. The particular prince in question certainly seemed to be having trouble keeping up, and, sighing in frustration, Ayla waved her hand in a jerky motion, so that Hans was yanked off of his feet, floating along quickly beside her as if riding an invisible horse. By the expression on his face, he was not all that fond of the new way to travel.

"I'm going down to the cliff edge. I'm hoping I'll be able to get a clear shot at the ships." she yelled as she thundered through the streets, dodging falling debris and jumping over obstacles in her path. The shire's hooves crashed against the cobblestone path.

Pawing at the air, Hans managed to grab hold of Ayla's dress and hauled himself over. He was sat behind her, feeling slightly foolish, but he was not keen on floating any longer either. The close proximity to the sorceress was making him feel rather excited, but he kept his emotions and thoughts under control. Now was not the time to be losing himself to Ayla's charm.

"Great," he replied, watching the ships' steady approach. "First, though, can you try and fix the canons and defences? We need to attack back."

Ayla scowled, and she had to fight the urge to stop her mare and glare at him. "Fine, fine, but I'm perfectly capable of protecting this kingdom."

"I never said you weren't." Hans countered, "But it wouldn't hurt to have a back up plan."

Ayla rolled her eyes, and as she reached the edge of the kingdom, she roughly pushed Hans off, relishing the power she had over the Prince. Flicking her fingers, the canons closest slowly began to piece themselves back together; before she could be told otherwise, she galloped off with her shire.

Reaching the highest point in the kingdom, she grinned as she hopped off quickly and held tightly onto the now agitated horse's reins. Grinning, she watched the fleet, and steadied her hands, ready to fire.

This was as much her kingdom as it was Hans'. She would not let it crumble—but she just had to catch a breath first.

* * *

Elsa leapt out of the small boat the second it touched land. Scowling, she frowned when she saw the vertical wall of rock, knowing full well she couldn't climb it. She paused for a second, allowing her guards to catch up with her.

"Ma'am?" One of the men said slowly. Elsa paused for a moment, and then smiled in a devilish way.

"Hold on tight," she said before a massive tower of snow grew from the ground, lifting her up to dry land, with her guards clinging on desperately, not expecting such a reaction to the problem.

Jumping from the column, Elsa waited for her men to catch up before thawing the pillar and beginning to make her way inland. She sent out another bright blue bird, slowing herself down for a second while she eagerly anticipated the dove's return.

When the bird did fly back to her, she did not waste a minute, quickly following it. She did not pause for anything, until the bird stopped, and settled down on the floor, singing a few soft notes before melting into a small puddle on the ground. Elsa sighed sadly; she hadn't meant to do it, but she was now so upset, knowing that the bird's actions meant that she must have just missed Mia by minutes.

One of her Guards came over slowly, smiling at his Queen reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Ma'am. If she was here not long ago, we will find her. Do not fret... Have a little faith."

Elsa glanced upwards as she felt snow beginning to fall, and she could not tell if she was making it, or if it was natural. Either way, she gave a slight smile as she sighed, and nodded to the guards, giving them permission to do what they had to do.

She couldn't believe she'd missed her niece, and the thought made her so sad. But she wouldn't go home without Mia. She couldn't bear to see her sister so distraught a single time more.

* * *

**Hey guys,**

**I've had a large drop in readers recently, so please, if you really want to see more chapters, I'm relying on you to help me out extra with this blow by reviewing. Even a 'nice' is appreciated... i just like to know people are actually still reading this.**

**I'm also sorry this is so late, my laptop won't charge so we need to get that fixed, and going back to school's left me feeling quite overwhelmed and I'm so tired, I feel like I'm a zombie or something. Ugh, I hate school... Why can't it just start even half an hour later so I'm not so tired? **

**As for a challenge this chapter, choose your favourite quote from a poem, book, film, etc, and I'll try to include as many as I can in the next chapter. This'll be a hard one ;)**

**See you soon,**

**-SG**


	41. Chapter 41 - dedicated to RJCA27

_**Jumping from the column, Elsa waited for her men to catch up, before thawing the ice and beginning to make her way inland, running elegantly, but not without purpose. She sent out another bright blue bird, and slowed herself down for a second while she eagerly anticipated the dove's return.**_

_**When the bird did fly back to her, she did not waste a minute, and quickly followed it. She did not pause for anything, until the bird stopped, and settled down on the floor, singing a few soft notes before melting into a small puddle on the ground. Elsa sighed sadly - she hadn't meant to do it, but she was now so upset, knowing that the bird' sanctions meant that she must have just missed Mia by minutes.**_

_**One of her Guards came over slowly, and smiled at his Queen reassuringly.**_

_**"Don't worry, Ma'am. If she was here not long ago, we will find her. Do not fret... Have a little faith."**_

_**Elsa glanced upwards as she felt snow beginning to fall, and she could not tell if she was making it, or if it was natural. Either way, she gave a slight smile as she sighed, and nodded to the guards, giving them permission to do what they had to do.**_

_**She couldn't believe she'd missed her niece, and the thought made her so sad. She couldn't go home without Mia- she couldn't bear to see her sister so distraught a single time more.**_

* * *

Rapunzel sighed sadly as she waved to the ships of Arendelle as they slowly began to sail away into the distance, returning to their home kingdom at last. It was a shame - their presence had been so greatly enjoyed by the people of Corona who, after having felt such loss, seemed to connect with the men who had been fighting to preserve those left in his family.

Eugene slowly came over and pulled Rapunzel into his arms in a hug. "Hey, don't worry, Blondie." He said, softly tickling her under her chin so as to make her giggle and squirm, forgetting that the soldiers from Arendelle were leaving. "We'll see them again soon."

Kicking her husband in the abdomen by accident, Rapunzel grinned as he groaned and backed off, giving her the opportunity to get a little further away, so he couldn't attack her again. Glancing over to the ships again, she gasped suddenly, excited.

"Hey, hey!" She cried out, "We haven't been to Arendelle in so long, Eugene! What do you say... what better way to celebrate Christmas and the New Year and the defeat of the Southern Isles than by going to visit them! And then we can thank Elsa and Anna for sending men to help us!"

Eugene chuckled. "Rapunzel, you always want to go to Arendelle!" He said, grinning, and he reached over to lightly shove her shoulder teasingly. She pouted sadly, her eyes widening to puppy dog eyes, as if she were pleading him. Eugene raised his hands in resignation. "Hey, hey, you're the Queen. I'm only a Prince, remember? Whatever you want to do, but can I just point out that surely we should stay and keep an eye on everyone over the next few days? We've all been through a lot, and they need you to help keep their courage up."

Rapunzel sighed. "I guess you're right..." She murmured, and looked away from him sadly, glancing out over her kingdom. "Sometimes, I wish I wasn't Queen... It's just such a demanding job, y'know?"

Eugene patted her on the back softly. "Hey, hey, Blondie. Don't look so down - it's Christmas after all! Why don't you go down to town tomorrow and help the children paint a holiday picture - I'm sure you'd all enjoy that!"

Rapunzel didn't look convinced. "No, what would I paint. I'm hardly in the holiday mood anymore, and there's so much devastation everywhere. This isn't a proper Christmas, so how can I paint a Christmas scene?"

"You could always paint me? My face always brings smiles to the women's faces?" Eugene suggested, his tone light, but all he was rewarded with was a small, feeble smile. "C'mon, 'Punzel. Christmas is a time for family!"

Rapunzel sighed. "So many families have been torn apart by the fighting..." she murmured, and slowly, a tear rolled down her cheek. "And here we are, starting a new family!" Her hand slipped down to her very slightly swollen stomach slowly, and rested there. "I feel so guilty..."

Eugene's eyes widened. "Hey, hey, 'Punzel! Don't feel like that. Think of it this way... were bringing new life into the world! Surely the fact that you're having a baby counts as saving a child? In a sense?"

Rapunzel nodded slowly, tears falling rapidly from her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. "I guess so..."

Eugene smiled, feeling triumphant. "You're over-reacting, Blondie, is all. Think of how many people you saved out there, not those who you couldn't quite get to. So many people owe you their lives... Don't you think you should go down so they can give you their thanks? I bet many of them feel indebted to you for what you did."

Rapunzel nodded blindly. "I'll go down tomorrow. I'm a mess now."

Eugene chuckled. "Ah, that's true." He commented, and Rapunzel glared at him.

Her reply consisted of a few well chosen words and a sharp slap across Eugene's cheek.

* * *

"Your majesty!" A voice called through the still air, and Elsa's head shot up as she watched the man addressing her expectantly. "I think we've got something over here!"

Elsa felt her curiosity peak, and she got up, quickly rushing over to the guard calling for her, looking around with interest. Her heart dropped, however, when she saw what had been found - a scrap of soft blue material, blending into the snow, and a little further off, concealed behind a small hawthorn bush, was something which made Elsa's heart miss a beat, sending pained spasms of shock through her body.

A small pattern of ice upon the floor, shaped in a way which, with no doubt, resembled a skull and crossbones - it was certainly not a natural occurrence, nor created by Elsa's magic, which meant one thing.

It was a sign from Mia.

Elsa's breath caught in her throat, and she quickly rose from her crouching position to look around quickly.

"She can't have been far ahead of us." Elsa said, thinking a plan through in her head as she spoke. "I suggest we search for her on horseback, for she should not be too hard to find if we are moving quickly."

One of the guards opened his mouth to speak, but Elsa's eyes singled him out, their cold glint silencing him; though she knew Mia had probably been taken by someone on a horse of their own, she did not want to hear it affirmed.

"Ma'am!" One guard called out before he could be silenced, and Elsa, tormented with grief and worry for her niece, heightened by her raging hormones and mood swings, spun on him, glaring. To his credit, the man barely flinched, merely looking slightly down so as not to be staring at his Queen eye-to-eye. "I'm sorry, Ma'am, but don't we need horses to search on horseback?"

Elsa remained stiff as she nodded slowly, rolling her eyes. "I know." She replied, testily, and the tension coming from her was thick upon the air. She gestured to her left, where four large Pegasi came slowly walking into view, flicking their manes and stretching their wings out proudly.

"They're perfectly friendly," Elsa promised, as she went over to the first, and largest, stallion and stroked its muzzle softly.

The guards did not look reassured in the slightest, and their lack of movement only served to anger Elsa.

"Come on, men. They're exactly the same as normal horses, except they can fly. Just hold on tight and I'm sure you'll be fine." Her eyes flashed with frustration, and she grinned slightly, mocking her men. "Besides a bit of fear is always good;** it doesn't shut you down, it wakes you up.** You need to be alert, so I'm doing you a favour really."

Reluctantly, the men got on, and the second the last guard had mounted his own icy horse, Elsa kicked her own on, so that it began to run quickly before taking off into the air. Her stallion flew upwards with strong beats of his wings, and Elsa felt suddenly more cheerful, even if only a little bit, as she gained height, before softly patting the pegasus' neck, telling him to stop. The pair stayed in place in the air for a few seconds as the rest of the men caught up, looking like they'd never seen anything more terrifying in their lives.

Mind you, they probably hadn't.

Elsa smiled as she angled her stallion downwards and quickly dived towards the ground, pulling up halfway through her descent to fly closer to the ground, scanning the area for any signs of little Mia. As it was, they were currently searching for the girl above the forests - no doubt if they had to search the villages, the sight of them would terrify the people, and they'd probably be shot down.

A minute passed, then two, then three, but there seemed to be no sign of little Mia anywhere, and Elsa sighed, her previous confidence that she'd find her niece shattered, until she felt her stallion plummet. Coming to a halt just a metre above the trees, his massive wings blowing the leaves around him, he quietly snorted and gestured with his head, looking down.

Elsa gasped at what she saw - a blonde haired woman, and with her, a small toddler with bleach blonde hair and stunning blue eyes.

Mia.

Elsa frowned when she saw the woman come forward, and had to hold back a snarl as she slapped her, knocking the child over, making her cry out.

_Oh, no you don't! _Elsa thought savagely, as ice materialised in her palms._ Revenge is going to be so sweet... In fact, I have a feeling that** it's going to be... epic.**_

* * *

"Trying to run off, were you?" Ayla's voice was cold as her palm connected with Mia's cheek. "Hans told me that you'd disappeared, and he couldn't find you again after you'd escaped from him when the firing began. I had to leave my post protecting the kingdom to come and find you, selfish child..."

Gripping Mia's wrist, Ayla pulled the girl closer to her face, her blue eyes cutting into Mia's soul. "Do you know the old phrase, little one? Oh, how does it go..." She lowered her voice to a whisper, speaking slowly and pronouncing every syllable carefully, making her sound so very dangerous. "Oh, yes. I remember. 'Happiness can always be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the lights...' I do like that phrase, don't you?"

Ayla sighed, and pushed Mia back to the ground. "Usually, I'd say that phrase holds a fair amount of truth to it, but there's always a catch... How is one meant to light a lamp for the light, without anything to light it with, eh? If you've not a match, for instance, then you have no way to ignite the gas. Do you understand where this is going, little one?"

Mia looked at Ayla with blank eyes, lost in the woman' song speech, and the said sorceress shook her head in frustration. "Of course you don't; you're just a child, a very naïve, toddler. Look at it this way, Mia; without anything to light up the darkness, you'll never be able to see, and you'll never be able to find happiness. This fits your situation perfectly - you have nothing anymore, no family, and you will get no respect from any of us either. You will forever be living in the dark, and you'll never find relief."

Mia whimpered in fear, even though she didn't understand what Ayla was saying, because the underlying message was clear.

"You are nothing but a tool, little Princess." Ayla whispered harshly, "I have more magic than you... Tonight, you shall wake up and not remember a thing of your past life, but don't worry, dear... We won't hurt you if your dear Aunt will comply to our rules."

Mia whimpered as she heard the word 'hurt', and she knew that Elsa was also involved in the situation now. By the deadly look on Ayla's face, it wasn't a good thing.

Concentrating, Mia whined quietly as she tried to bring forth another of her magic mind-controlling snowflakes. Her eyes widened as she felt soft powder falling upon her head, and realised she had actually made it snow, too, but Ayla, instead of looking worried, just laughed.

"What are you going to do, Princess? A little chill isn't going to stop me." She snarled, and grabbed Mia's hand as the special snowflake materialised there, floating around for a few everlasting seconds as if it's summoner wasn't currently being man-handled, before settling on Ayla's forehead. It melted quickly, and then slowly disappeared, seeming to disappear into her skin. The sorceress' eyes softened for a moment, and her grip on Mia's wrist slackened just enough to allow her to pull free, but the strain upon her mind, her soul, even, was excruciating, and Ayla clearly had a stronger will than Hans, amazingly. She made multiple jerky movements, as if struggling to break free, only to be pulled back again, and the effort of keeping the mind control working made Mia's vision go blurry.

With a grunt, Ayla yanked her arm free of the control, and the rest of her body followed suit quickly after, so that in next to no time, her free will had returned, and now, she grinned at the Princess with an even colder glare. Exhausted from the effort, Mia simply lay on the floor, breathing heavily, too exhausted to move, her injured foot throbbing again, the pain sending waves of nausea through her.

"Tut, tut. Don't you know never to bite the hand that feeds you?" Ayla snapped, and the toddler just whimpered again, raising her head feebly, before groaning and laying it back down upon the snowy pillow. Through partially opened eyes, she could see the woman approaching, and as she closed them, she saw a bright flash of light.

With a deep breath, she let her body go numb in the snow, and though she tried to fight it, she could already feel herself drifting off.

* * *

**He, guys. Sorry this chapter's late again, I was planning to get it finished for friday so, of course, school decided I needed loads of homework for the weekend. Mix in having to go up to look after the animals both mornings (okay, I'm not really complaining, I got to ride my horses twice) and I've been pretty tied for time. Maybe next week will be better? (Maybe?) **

**Second, to the guest who said about mentioning torture in a chapter note, then sure, if any chapters do end up having torture in them - I'd rather not, but sometimes these things are necessary :( - then i'll try to remember to put a note at the start. In truth, the rest of book two should be free though from now on, I can't make any promises of yet for the sequel though. Hope that helps xxx  
**

** Anyway, I tried to include as many of your quotes as I could this chapter (I'll see if I can add some more to future chapters). Thank you so much for your support - it really helped! One of our baby goats has been ill, her mother won't let her feed and the baby won't drink from the bottle so we've been having a bit of a hard time, so your words helped me once again.  
**

**So, what did you think of the ending? Haha! I'm so evil!**

**Anyway, challenge, hmm... how about, choose an every-day item (e.g. paper, a phone, a light switch, etc) and come up with the most inventive use you can think for them (e.g. a paper **aeroplane**). Then, I'll try to incorporate my favourite idea into the chapter - for example, a plane can fly, meaning it travels to places, so someone could be going somewhere new. etc.  
**

**See you round,**

**-SG**


	42. Chapter 42 - dedicated to OmegaMarker

**_"What are you going to do, Princess? A little chill isn't going to stop me." She snarled, and grabbed Mia's hand as the special snowflake materialised there, floating around for a few everlasting seconds as if it's summoner wasn't currently being man-handled, before settling on Ayla's forehead. It melted quickly, and then slowly disappeared, seeming to disappear into her skin. The sorceress' eyes softened for a moment, and her grip on Mia's wrist slackened just enough to allow her to pull free, but the strain upon her mind, her soul, even, was excruciating, and Ayla clearly had a stronger will than Hans, amazingly. She made multiple jerky movements, as if struggling to break free, only to be pulled back again, and the effort of keeping the mind control working made Mia's vision go blurry._**

**_With a grunt, Ayla yanked her arm free of the control, and the rest of her body followed suit quickly after, so that in next to no time, her free will had returned, and now, she grinned at the Princess with an even colder glare. Exhausted from the effort, Mia simply lay on the floor, breathing heavily, too exhausted to move, her injured foot throbbing again, the pain sending waves of nausea through her._**

**_"Tut, tut. Don't you know never to bite the hand that feeds you?" Ayla snapped, and the toddler just whimpered again, raising her head feebly, before groaning and laying it back down upon the snowy pillow. Through partially opened eyes, she could see the woman approaching, and as she closed them, she saw a bright flash of light._**

**_With a deep breath, she let her body go numb in the snow, and though she tried to fight it, she could already feel herself drifting off._**

* * *

Elsa felt her breath catch in her throat as the strange, blonde woman pushed little Mia down onto the ground roughly, and she felt both of her hands rapidly cool over. With a furious, almost predatory glint in her eyes, she took a deep breath in, and tried to quell her rage.

"Ma'am?" A guard said quietly, and Elsa's large, blue eyes widened in shock, as she spun around and a blast of ice shot from her outstretched hand, thoroughly encasing the man behind her in a large block of ice. Both shock and fear were etched upon his frozen face, and Elsa sighed quietly as she noticed her accidental work, quickly thawing the block. Her eyes softened slightly, but they still retained the sharp edge from anger they had before.

"Sorry," She whispered quietly, "I'm edgy and frustrated, and I can't wait to get my hands on that woman's throat!" Her voice was a snarl, and the Guard's eyes widened, looking at his Queen with a slightly concerned look, as if he feared she'd want to hurt him.

A thud came from behind them, and Elsa quickly spun back around, a low growl resonating in the back of her throat as she saw Mia laying on the floor. Feeling her heart thumping dangerously in her chest, a bright bolt of light burst forth from her palms, and as she rushed over to her niece, she felt a cold, merciless smugness seeping through her veins when she noticed the large icicle which had torn through the woman's dress, very nearly impaling her.

The woman looked down at her dress, then back up at her attacker, and her face broke into a glare; the expression was filled with pure malice, and the hatred in her eyes would have made anyone braver than Elsa quiver with fear, yet she stood her ground all the same.

"What are you doing with my Niece?" Elsa's voice was quiet, but volume did not matter. The way the words rolled sharply off her tongue, each syllable biting through the still air, the sounds harsher than the crack of the whip, made even Ayla's legs feel weak, but she, too, did not back down.

"I have simply come to collect the child." She said, her voice emotionless, making a shiver run down Elsa's spine at the almost unnatural sound. "Do not mind me. I'd hate to hurt anyone, but I have my ways."

Elsa frowned as she listened to the peculiar, clearly dangerous woman before her - something in the way she spoke made her sound familiar, and even more dangerous, as if she was an old foe.

"You ought to know that I have my own, too." Elsa breathed out, but her voice was cold, and there was a lethal edge to it, which gave it's own message: don't mess with me.

Ayla laughed, as if Elsa had said something amusing. "Ah, yes. I know of your little snowy habits. It's interesting to see that your little niece has them too, is it not? But surely you feel let down, Queen Elsa - she had a power so much greater, more significant than your own?"

Elsa's eyes widened for a second, but only from shock, not the least bit insulted by the woman's words. "Not in the slightest," She growled, her palms clenched in fists. "I have my own powers, and if they are to be bettered, then so be it. I am who I am, and I am not going to hide it, nor shall I pretend that I am someone I'm not."

Her foe smiled, and as snow began to fall in the forest, she waved her own hand, a large, spinning snowflake materialising there. Elsa's eyes did widen in shock this time, and Ayla grinned in victory. "So, Queen, do you really think you have anything on me? What can you do, really - make it snow on me some more?"

Elsa's eyes narrowed angrily at Ayla, and on cue, the snow she'd made grew heavier. "Maybe on it's own, something as small as a snowflake may seem insignificant, but you forget that when small, apparently weak things can work together and bring forth a snow-storm!"

Ayla grinned, laughing slightly. "Oh, but of course. I've heard about your little... accident on your coronation, hmm?"

Elsa frowned a little, strangely hurt by Ayla's words. She wasn't normal pained when people mentioned her loss of control five years ago, but the tone in the sorceress' voice was so demeaning, she felt so small.

This small victory made Ayla stand up taller, and she flashed Elsa a large, white smile. "What ever is the matter, Queen Elsa? I'd have thought you'd be used to people thinking badly of you... After all, you did almost kill your entire kingdom. I'm amazed you're so strong about it all, considering how many people nearly died at your hand. Personally, I don't think I could live with the shame of doing something so... abhorrent. The very _idea_ of being a monster... It makes me shudder."

Elsa's eyes widened, and she began to breath a little heavier, Ayla's words finding their mark, and tearing the Queen's heart in two.

_A... A monster? _Her mind went back to the scene in her palace five years ago, when Hans had said the exact same thing to her.

_Queen Elsa! Don't be the monster they fear you are!_

Elsa gasped slightly, backing up at the memory, so fresh in her mind as if it had happened just hours ago, not years. She felt her legs go weak, and had to fight with all her might not to fall to the floor.

Trying to stand up straighter, Elsa attempted to send a glare to her foe, although she succeeded in doing little more than scowling at her. Ayla laughed at her feeble attempts.

"I do admire your courage, Queen." She said, her eyes shining with malicious happiness. "It's a shame I cannot take away your bravery and persistence and give them to myself, for my magic won't seem to allow me to do so, but oh, it truly is a shame. It would make a nice addition to my personality."

Elsa snarled quietly, her emotions slowly beginning to settle down, allowing her to stand a little taller - stupid baby messing with her mind! - and as she came back to reality, out of the land she'd been pushed into by Ayla, she heard a scuffling coming from behind her. She tried not to frown as she realised that it was her guards who were creating the sound, and she wondered what to do; she didn't want the sorceress to know they were there, because not only could they be great back-up if she needed help, no matter how much she would hate to be indebted to them, she also didn't want any of them to get hurt.

And this Ayla person was clearly bad news. If Elsa did nothing, her men could be hurt when the sorceress found them - if she acted, they could be hurt when she noticed their presence.

Ayla took the decision from her as one of her men rushed forward, and as Elsa spun her head around to watch, she gasped in horror as she heard the click of fingers coming from behind her. The guard's eyes seemed to widen too, and he seemed to be trying to stop himself, but he was running too fast; with an almighty bang, his body plowed into something shimmering in the air, and he crumpled to the floor, his body still.

Elsa had to hold back a scream as she saw the man's lifeless corpse laying upon the floor.

She spun back around to look at Ayla, her eyes narrowed in a deadly glare, her hands clenched into fists. Behind the woman, Elsa could make out something shimmering in the moon light - a dome of invisible matter, a shield.

"You killed him!" She snarled through gritted teeth, her blood boiling with fury at the woman. Elsa could see clearly just how bad Ayla felt for killing the man by the way she shrugged, as if she were saying, _That's a shame._

"No, I didn't." She replied, frowning. "Although I must admit, it would make life easier if I could. See, the thing is, my magic can't be used to kill anyone directly... Sound familiar at all? Surely you recognise me, or is your memory so bad that you can't remember the events of two years back?"

Elsa frowned for a moment, and then she gasped, her eyes widening as another memory washed over her, for the second time that night.

_"Well, here's the thing. There's something strange, about royal blood. Or, at least, a few samples of it. That is to say, it has strange properties." Karleif took a few steps forward, before continuing. "The first Kings and Queens, and this is a little known fact, but the first monarchy had magic. At the time, only a little, turning grass blue, for example, and over the years, it has lay dormant in their descendants, growing ever stronger. Take yourself, for example, Elsa. Your magic is, I must admit, astounding."_

_Anna froze as she felt the wall behind her, and looked around, panicked - there was no way out!_

_"So, it's simple, really. All we need is a bit of magical blood in our system, and given the right... conditions, shall we say, we should gain the powers ourselves, and be able to harness them."_

A low growl escaped her throat, but when she looked at the sorceress before her, Elsa couldn't help but feel stupid. She understood, now, that the woman before her had obviously been Karleif's brother, and she was kicking herself mentally for not realising it sooner. She shared so many things with her brother - the same face shape, same height, roughly, and her mother... she could still remember the mother, with her eyes, the same piercing blue as Ayla's.

One final memory rolled over her, and the thought made her shiver.

_"Well, here's the thing," He said, and he indicated to the people all around him. "Only a few royals actually have the magic in their system, because so many have lost the magic over the years, or else, the original family died out. So, of course, only a few still have the magic running through their veins, except it is very hard to know who does and doesn't. Out of all the royals who we've... tested on, shall we say, only five, so far, have been positive."_

_Elsa paused, thinking, then suddenly, something hit her. Frowning suspiciously, she stared at Karleif, who had stopped advancing now, and was simply standing there, waiting to finish his story, so that he could finish them off too._

_"Who were the two positives?" She asked, but she already knew what the answer was._

_Karleif laughed harshly. "Do I really need to answer that, Queen Elsa?" He said, grinning, and Elsa's eyes widened at the confirmation._

_"You killed my parents." She said, straight out, and deep down, her blood began to boil, whilst the frost snaked all over the floor like wildfire._

"You have my parent's blood in your veins!" She snarled angrily. "You used their blood in the same way your brother and Mother did!"

Ayla laughed, looking like she was enjoying her foe's distress, and Elsa had no doubts that she actually was. "You know, I really ought to give you more credit." She said in a cheerful voice. "You're quite smart, really - it's a shame you're the enemy, because if you weren't, I'd think about recruiting you!"

"That's a coincidence, because you don't seem that smart at all, if you think I'd want to join a barbaric murderer like you!" Elsa sneered, and small icicles began to poke up through the dirt, missed by Ayla, who was enjoying herself too much to notice.

"Oh, come off it, Queenie - I'm not a murderer! My magic can't be used to kill directly - I mentioned that only a minute ago. Your memory truly is horrible."

"Your shield caused his death! That's close enough to murder for me!"

Ayla suddenly sighed, looking bored, and she waved her hand dismissively. "Ah, well. Think what you want - your opinion won't make much difference when you're dead. Which, might I add, won't be me killing you, just the results of my magic."

"You astound me with your logic - mind you, the way you look at life is so peculiar, I don't believe it can be classed as logic at all."

"That's strange, because you seem to have a habit for trying to throw your life away. You always end up running head-first into dangerous situations... I don't think highly or your self preservation."

Elsa's eyes narrowed scornfully, and Ayla grinned, but both looked around quickly when they heard a low moan to their right. The small body of a child slowly shuddered, and Mia lifted herself up onto her hands unsteadily, attempting to stand for a moment, before wobbling and falling over, weak and confused.

Elsa quickly began to move, but Ayla was faster - a large circle of flames trapped Mia, and though feeling exhausted and unfocused, her eyesight blurred, the smell of the fire and the bright glow, accompanied by the intense heat, was enough to warn her what was going on, and she screamed.

Behind her, out of the corner of her eye, Elsa could see the rest of the guards warily trying to force their way through the magical shield separating them from their Queen, but to no avail. Through gaps in the flames, Mia's eyes, wide, foggy and shining with fear, could occasionally be seen.

Elsa's blood boiled again, and a jet of ice shot towards Ayla, bright blue and sharp enough to slice through any rock easily. The sorceress' blue eyes widened as she quickly jumped out of the way, but now she was no fast enough - the ice slashed through her arm and fresh blood rose to the surface quickly, at an alarming rate.

Ayla hissed in pain and recoiled slightly, backing up against her own shield as she sent a strong blast of magic at her foe, something which clearly made her feel fatigued. Her breathing became labored and much louder afterwards, and as Elsa felt her limbs stop working, moving at only a snail's pace, she could see Ayla squeezing her eyes shut in pain, as she placed her hand over the wound, and her weariness grew obviously greater.

As she fought free from her restrictions, Elsa could not hold back the gasp that came next - the wound had stopped bleeding, and, more horrifyingly, looked as if it was nothing more than a deep paper-cut, not a slash from an icy blade.

Ayla remained against the shield, and though she was clearly exhausted, she still smiled smugly.

"See?" She gasped out, between breaths. "You can't defeat... me! I have... magic which you don't! You... will never have power to... match mine!"

Another loud scream echoed throughout the dome as flames began to lick at Mia's side, and Ayla laughed wheezily. "Tick tock, Elsa..." She breathed out. "Your precious niece hasn't... got long left..."

Elsa's eyes widened, and in a second, she knew what she had to do. Rushing over, she shot a blast of ice at the flames, but to no avail - it simply evaporated away the second it touched the fire, and seemed to only make it larger, more powerful.

Mia's scream came again, but neither Elsa nor Ayla could anticipate what would come next.

From the center of Mia's palms, a string of snowflakes burst forth, and settled in the flames, instantly evaporating, as the young Princess cried out in pain. The fire slowly began to part, and as they did, the small hands of the child grew increasingly red-raw.

Crawling out, Mia collapsed once she made it past the flames, and the second she stopped concentrating, the pain in her thoroughly burnt hands overwhelming, the fire stopped obeying her commands. For the second time that night, she passed out from her pain.

Ayla laughed softly. "What a development," She said, her breathing slowly going back to normal. "I never expected that. I... knew she could control people... but items too?... She's powerful, for sure."

Elsa's eyes narrowed, as she quickly bent down and cradled her young niece in her arms. "And she's my family, so if you don't mind, I shall be going now."

Elsa wasn't surprised when Ayla blocked her path, using her powers to make the grass grow massive in less than a second, and it was impossible to get through. Then again, it was pointless, really, because she wasn't sure how she'd get past the shield anyway. Still, she'd rather be at the other side of the dome, than half way closer to Ayla.

"Where are you going, Queen Elsa? You can't leave." Elsa glared at Ayla, who smiled cruelly as she pushed off from the wall, feeling stronger now that she'd had a rest. Her hand opened slowly, and a ball of light flickered there, like a mini sun in her palm. "What do you think? It's mesmerizing, is it not?"

And as Elsa stared into the ball of light, she could feel herself slipping away slightly, not thinking straight... Her mind went foggy for a moment, and all her worries disappeared...

A soft thudding was coming from outside the dome, and Elsa felt herself snap out of her trace like world as Ayla's concentration broke. Both women spun their heads to look at the edge of the dome, which was becoming worryingly full of smoke now, and a soft gasp escaped the Queen's lips, as she saw someone hammering at the shield.

That someone being Odd.

Elsa smiled as her husband pounded fiercely at the dome, and as he did so, the place of impact grew increasingly whiter, more apparent... Something which did not go unmissed by Ayla. Her face went red with fury as Odd slowly began to destroy her shield, and with every blow, she appeared to be weakening.

Behind her, another man appeared, one who had haunted both Elsa and Anna's nightmares for months when they were first re-united.

Hans.

He ran up to the dome, and Ayla spun on him, her eyes wide with panic as she watched Odd breaking her shield. The strong, burly guard had not done anything to damage it when he hit it at full speed, and yet with every blow, the Prince was able to break the dome more.

Hans ran around the edge, and it was all Elsa and Ayla could do to watch him, both transfixed on what was going to happen. Odd seemed oblivious to the man who was running at him like a bull, looking like he was going to simply plow into him and knock him out, and the Southern Isles' Prince's eyes were bright with a hunger for revenge. On Odd, perhaps, but more likely on Elsa, her family and her kingdom.

Slowly, as Hans grew ever nearer, Odd turned, as if in a trance. He stood still as the other Prince came nearer, and then, at the last second, ducked down - Hans, caught off guard, felt strong hands clasp his ankles as Odd stood back up, effectively throwing his foe over his back, letting him fly through the air, before landing awkwardly on his feet, grunting in pain as he landed, his ankle bent at an awkward angle.

Ayla's eyes widened as she watched Odd pound her shield ever harder, effectively bruising his hand, but not paying it much attention, as Elsa's fellow guards came over to help, though despite their size, they made very little difference.

It was then that she understood - as Odd slowly looked up at her, Elsa could see the desperation shining in his eyes, more than any of the other men, and she realised what was letting him break the shield, when the others couldn't.

"Don't you get it, Ayla? Your shield's made of hatred, but Odd can break it with his love! You don't stand a chance, don't you see?"

Ayla looked panicked for a moment, and then she snarled at Elsa. "There are things stronger than love. Power, for one." She glanced over at Hans, and sighed, seeing him struggling. "This isn't over, Queen Elsa. Just you wait."

With an almighty crack, the dome began to crumble and, in an instant, it all fell away in tiny pieces, raining Elsa and Mia in an onslaught of strange, glass like matter, which scraped their faces to pieces, and left bloody trails down their cheeks.

Ayla growled, and Elsa's palm opened, as four knives materialised there. Before she could grab them, however, someone else snatched them away, and she watched in both horror and awe as Odd threw them masterfully, even with a very stiff arm, and two blades impaled her palms, while the others pinned her back against a tree.

The sorceress howled in pain as she blinked, as if trying to get her eyes to focus, and she let out a yell of anger - magic burst forth from her fingers and struck Elsa, making her double over in pain, and Odd tried to catch her, but was a little too stiff in his movements and missed her by inches. Bending down, he cradled his wife's head as she moaned, and watched in horror as her stomach began to swell rapidly.

With a final, exhausted yell of fury, a wave of energy burst forth from Ayla, and Odd gripped Elsa and Mia tightly as they were all thrown back by the blast, along with Elsa's guards, and anyone else who was not a member of the Southern Isles.

With a moan, Ayla's eyes shut as the knives evaporated from her hands, and she slid down the tree, not dead, but barely alive, either. Magic radiated off of her in waves, and a few minutes later, if one was to watch from a little way away, they would see the kingdom of the Southern Isles disappearing completely.

* * *

Anna gasped as she saw the fleet of ships coming towards her kingdom.

"Kris..." She called out, and when she received no response, she raised her voice to a yell. "Kristoff! Come here, quick!"

Her husband hurried over, and he, too, gasped when he saw the oncoming advance.

"They're not our ships, are they?" He muttered, voicing Anna's own fears, and the Princess shook her head, her ginger pigtails scruffy and falling out. "Damn- the men haven't had much training yet!"

Anna's eyes widened. "Oh, God, Kristoff! We're dead!"

Kristoff huffed. "We've got about an hour before they get here - we'll gather the men and get ready to fight. You can use the magic Elsa gave you, right?"

Anna nodded, as she began to slide down the banisters, but for speed, not for fun- this was not a time for such trivial things as enjoying oneself, when people's lives were at risk.

Before long, she was stood out upon the Arendellian docks, her hands shaking, and she clutched onto Kristoff desperately.

"Oh, God!" She cried, "I can't do this! I can barely go a day without falling flat on my face, let alone protect a kingdom!"

Kristoff squeezed her hand gently, and gave her a reassuring smile. "You did a pretty good job before, saving it from an eternal winter. And you helped get rid of Karleif and his Mother. You're more than capable, and I'll bet Sven's carrots you'll do fine. Just don't tell him I said that."

Anna smiled feebly and nodded, facing out to the ocean. "On three!" She yelled. "One!"

Wait, was that boat shimmering?

"Two!"

My eyesight's bad, they look like they're flickering...

"One!"

Anna raised her hands to fire, and began to freeze the sea below her, when the fleet just... Vanished.

"Go!"

Everyone gathered looked around blindly at the command, confused; where had the ships gone?

Anna felt her legs go weak from puzzlement, and Kristoff picked her up, as the crowd filtered away when there was no attack.

"It must have been a trick of the light..." She murmured, and her husband nodded, but he quickly got onto Sven's back, pulling Anna up with him.

"Mm-hmm." Kristoff murmured his agreement, "But it still seems strange. I'm going to see the trolls - are you coming, or shall I drop you back at the castle?"

"I'm coming, Mister." Anna teased, "Don't think you can lose me that easily!"

* * *

Rapunzel closed her map slowly, and sighed as she looked out over her kingdom.

"What am I meant to do about all the Southern Isles' wrecked ships?" She asked, frowning, "There are so many of them..."

Eugene shrugged. "Dunno," he said, thinking, "Stick 'em in the fire?"

Rapunzel shook her head, smiling. "I think there's too much wood there to just use for the fireplaces... Maybe a public bonfire?" She joked, but Eugene seemed enthral led by the idea.

"The little kids would love that, I'd bet! That actually makes sense - a celebration to commemorate the end of the fighting!"

Rapunzel nodded. "I guess that does sound fun," She agreed, smiling. We'll have to get some chalk so the little ones can draw pictures too!"

Eugene raised his eyebrows. "The little ones?" He said teasingly, and Rapunzel laughed.

"Fine, fine, me. But you know how much I love to do art, and - hey!" She gasped as she looked out over the ocean. "Where did the ships go?"

"They just... Disappeared. Must be some sort of magic, I guess... Damn it, I guess we can't have a bonfire then."

Rapunzel sighed, but then smiled. "Can we still do the chalk?"

No one saw as the Southern Isles disappeared off of the map completely.

* * *

"Hmm... There's a lot of magic in the air tonight, Kristoff..." Bulda said, and she looked frustrated, as if she hated having to be posh and regal. "Unless I'm mistaken, I do believe something has happened to the kingdom of the Southern Isles, to make their fleet disappear but I don't know what."

Anna and Kristoff nodded, and smiled at each other, and slowly, the gorgeous yellow rose grew even more magnificent. It's bud turned into petals, and before long, the petals opened, to reveal a small, hand sized stone carving. Bulda grinned excitedly, as she brought the miniature statue up to her lips, and placed a soft kiss upon its forehead. She then placed it down on the flower, and watched as it grew and grew.

Kristoff's breath caught in his throat. "Pabbie?" He asked, unsure, and the wise old troll chuckled.

"It'll take a miracle to kill me, m'boy." He said, chuckling, and he looked so happy, so fresh and bubbly. "Come on, Bulda- let me take the crown from you and you can go back to being yourself again."

Bulda laughed and ran off with her father, but Kristoff frowned slightly, over the initial shock by now.

"Come on, Anna. We'd better get back- I think a storm's coming." He said, and Anna, still gobsmacked, nodded blindly.

Quickly,by, they began to make their way back, not knowing that the very same storm was blowing up out at sea, too.

* * *

**Okay, sorry to start on a bad note, but I felt a little let down last chapter... after your support the chapter before, I then got less than a third of those reviews... What did I do wrong?  
**

**Okay, here are the explanations for the challenge: **

**Anony mouse101: I used your idea of raindrops being powerful together, but weak alone, but for snow instead - thanks!**

**Rise Like the Break of Dawn: I used your idea of kitchen utensils (okay, I went for knives) as ornaments, and extended it to making them decorations (for Ayla, haha, I should have given her earrings too...)**

**Pabulover123: Okay, I sort of failed with yours, I couldn't think of anything ;) sorry, but i'll see if it fits in anywhere in the future!**

**OmegaMarker: I used your idea of picking a lock with a paper clip, and extended it to locks guarding or protecting something, or trapping something, in this case Elsa looking after Mia, and being trapped inside the dome. (sorry, it's lame, I know, but you made it so hard, I was stuck! besides, paper clips weren't around until 1890s, so too late for the story! haha, that's a good excuse!)  
**

**Anyway, sorry there was so much flashback in this chapter, considering it's been half a year since the end of the last book (wow...) I figured your memories could use some refreshing.**

**Now, this was a super duper long chapter, so sorry it's a bit late, but I'm excusing myself ;) anyway, I out a load of effort into this one, so please review... It's the second longest chapter in the whole series, so I'm expecting some decent feedback, at least!**

**Now, challenge time! What do you think of Mia's new power (controlling items as well as people). Good/bad? What do you think the limitations, etc, might be. Any ideas how she might use it?**

**Also, what do you think happened at the end with the Southern isles? Can anyone wager a guess what might happen in the future (hint- think about nazi germany pre-ww2)**

**I'm pretty proud of this chapter... If you're not reviewing because you think my writing is rubbish, by the way, then please give me tips, I accept all the help I can get!**

**Finally, if you had to rate this story, how many stars would you give it (one being really bad, five being really good)**

**Love y'all!**

**-SG **

**(P.S. Little baby goat's doing a bit better, yay)**


	43. 43 - for BlackKnght and OmegaMarker

_**Anna and Kristoff nodded, and smiled at each other, and slowly, the gorgeous yellow rose grew even more magnificent. It's bud turned into petals, and before long, the petals opened, to reveal a small, hand sized stone carving. Bulda grinned excitedly, as she brought the miniature statue up to her lips, and placed a soft kiss upon its forehead. She then placed it down on the flower, and watched as it grew and grew.**_

_**Kristoff's breath caught in his throat. "Pabbie?" He asked, unsure, and the wise old troll chuckled.**_

_**"It'll take a miracle to kill me, m'boy." He said, chuckling, and he looked so happy, so fresh and bubbly. "Come on, Bulda- let me take the crown from you and you can go back to being yourself again."**_

_**Bulda laughed and ran off with her father, but Kristoff frowned slightly, over the initial shock by now.**_

_**"Come on, Anna. We'd better get back- I think a storm's coming." He said, and Anna, still gobsmacked, nodded blindly.**_

_**Quickly, they began to make their way back, not knowing that the very same storm was blowing up out at sea, too.**_

* * *

A massive wave crashed over Elsa's head, and she tightened her grip on little Mia as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop salt-water from getting into them. She coughed as she swallowed a mouthful of water, and Odd quickly swam over to her, struggling against the current as he wrapped his arm around his wife, fighting the water with the other as he tried to propel himself forward through the sea.

Elsa moaned quietly as she squeezed her eyes shut slightly, her stomach, nearly double the size it had been before, cramping horribly, sending shooting pain up her spine and making little black dots dance in front of her vision. Mia was holding tightly onto her Aunt, her arms wrapped around her upper chest despite her unconscious state, and the pressure was not helping the Queen's situation in the slightest.

Before the pain had started, the Guards had tried to pry Mia from Elsa, but to no avail; it was clear the child was not going to let go when she unknowingly froze her own hands together so that no-one could remove her. The young Queen had sent them away after that, ordering them to get back to the boat, and to leave her to make her own way. She didn't want to endanger any more lives than necessary, and it was bad enough that she couldn't get Mia off of her. She'd tried to get Odd to go with them too, but, stubborn as he was, he refused, and though she didn't want him in to remain by her side, his presence was so precious to her at that moment. Without him, she wasn't quite sure if she'd be able to stay afloat when the pains came again.

Slowly, battling heroically against the current, Odd gritted his teeth as he kicked his legs as fast as he could, the cold water making him stiffer, and he couldn't move fast enough. Elsa groaned as she held him tighter and tried to push forward through the salty water herself, using her spare arm to slice through the water, using all her strength in trying to keep herself moving.

A slight twinge came forth from Elsa's stomach, and she gritted her teeth as she continued on, desperately trying to keep going, all while making sure Mia's head was kept above the water, also. Odd's grip tightened on her as he felt her tense up, and as another crashing wave, accompanied by a bright flash of light and a low, menacing rumble of thunder, hut them, he drew closer to her, as if he could protect her from the forces of nature.

"Elsa!" He yelled, his voice barely audible abive the sea's constant roars. "Can you freeze the water? The ship's only getting further away; we cant catch it up!"

As they continued to struggle against the sea, Elsa squezed her eyes shut, feeling the energy rush to her hands, before an overwhelming pain hit her, coming from her abdomen, and she moaned loudly, taken by surprise. She tried to ignore the way her stomach protested as she attempted to freeze the water once again, but she only succeeded in making her suffering worse.

Odd, struggling onward, softly crooned in Elsa's ear, trying to calm her down. "It'll be okay," He promised, his shout sounding like a whisper above the ocean's own cries. "I promise, Elsa, it'll be okay. Hang in there..."

None the less, Odd's words would have been better suited to him - his limbs were slowing in their movements, both paralysed from the cold and weak already from what he'd endured. For a second, his grasp on Elsa slipped, and she had to reach out for him quickly to stay with him. Her eyes widened as she saw him slowly growing weaker, and she knew she had to do something.

Concentrating as much as she could, she winced as the pain in her abdomen re-appeared, but she gritted her teeth, ignoring it as much as she could, and continued to summon energy to her. The ache grew stronger, and a low moan escaped from her mouth, making Odd look at her quickly, and he pulled her closer instinctively, as if her was trying to protect her.

"Hey, hey!" He said, quickly, "Don't try, Elsa. We'll..." He paused to take a deep breath, "We'll get back to the ship, don't strain yourself... You'll make your pain worse..."

Elsa shook her head as she continued to try and find the energy to use her powers, her efforts making the aching turn into pure agony. Her eyes scrunched up tightly as she fought the urge to stop trying, and a sudden, even more intense burst of pain made her cry out in pain. She felt a rush of water between her legs, and she knew instantly that it wasn't the sea.

Releasing her magic, a massive burst of snow shot from her palms, the force sending her and Odd shooting forwards. She bit her tongue as her stomach contracted horribly, trying not to scream in pain again, and she had to squeeze Odd tighter to relieve the pressure. Elsa's eyes slowly opened when the pain eased off after half a minute or so, and she gave a half-hearted smile when she saw that the ship was so much nearer than it had been before.

"Well done, Sweetie," Odd whispered in Elsa's ear soothingly, squeezing her comfortingly, and though the sea was raging and roaring, she could hear him clearly. She smiled at him weakly, and as she ran out of energy to continue to use her magic, she still continued to kick her legs, willing to use every last ounce of her energy to get her husband and niece back to the ship, so that they'd be safe.

She wasn't sure if she could last much longer, though. As the pain returned in her abdomen, Elsa groaned loudly, and she was sure she'd never felt anything like it - she knew this was labor, and she had no idea how Anna could ever have endured it.

She struggled forward with Odd, and both were slow and weary, though for different reasons. Elsa pulled Mia higher up awkwardly, trying to keep her head out of the freezing, raging water, as the sharp pain in her abdomen hit it's peak and she yelped at the sudden increase in intensity. She quickly bit back the cry, biting her teeth together, trying to remain quiet, and she felt her husband squeeze her hand, his own freezing cold, and she could feel him shivering.

Elsa looked over to the ship with eyes narrowed from pain, which was getting further away once again, and gasped as she saw something - or someone - dive from the deck of the largest, leading ship. She sighed as the pain began to ease away, her legs relaxing slightly after they had stiffened when she was hurting, but worry was on her mind for the man who had jumped into the sea.

She saw him splashing towards them, and saw the guards yelling from the ship. Elsa had forbid them from going back into the sea, ordering them to get to safety, but she hadn't said anything about the sailors.

For a moment, she lost sight of the man over the waves, and she drew nearer to Odd, both for comfort and to protect him from the elements. The water crashed over their heads again, leaving Elsa spluttering and Odd coughed as he swallowed a mouthful of the salty liquid. It was clear to see how drained, how exhausted he was, and yet he kept plowing forward, never giving up.

Slowly, Mia began to stir, and Elsa groaned as the child's movements irritated her stomach, making it twinge again, and she had to fight the urge to move the little girl away from her, knowing full well that if she did, she'd lose her grip on her, and she'd drown.

Glancing up, the Queen moaned softly at the pain in her abdomen, and Odd weakly squeezed her hand as they continued to fight the current. Groaning with effort, Elsa managed to find a little more strength, and she let snow burst from her palm again, pushing the pair forward, closer to the ship and the man, and then the world spun before her eyes.

Breathing heavily, she let out a gasp as the pain came sharply again, and as everything went out of focus, she felt Odd's arms keeping her afloat, as her own limbs began to fail her. She didn't understand how he could keep on going after everything he'd been through, but then, she figured, that was one of the things she loved so much about him.

He never gave up. He didn't let things get him down - he only let the horrors he'd seen make him stronger.

Elsa let him draw her closer to him, and though she was tense, her body wracked with pain, his presence helped to distract her mind, and numbed her from her suffering. She watched tiredly as another man came swimming towards them, and she felt a small wave of relief when he wrapped his arms around the three of them, letting her and Odd relax slightly after all their struggles.

Elsa watched as a small rowing boat bobbed valiantly over the crashing waves, and as Elsa let out a squeak of pain as her contraction hit it's peak, the little craft came past. The crew battled relentlessly against the current to stay in the same spot, and the man quickly swam over, pushing his Queen, Prince and Princess up to safety.

Elsa moaned as the contraction continued to wrack her body, making her shake in pain, and she felt so weak, so helpless and pathetic as she lay in the bottom of the craft, breathing heavily, but she couldn't help but gasp as she looked out to sea, where the man was slowly drifting away from the rowing boat. Men were trying to reach him, to help him on board, but there was little they could do - they had lowered the boat in haste, and hadn't thought to pack any supplies, like a rope.

Slowly, Elsa sat up and, as her body continued to rebel against moving, she shuffled over to the edge, and sent out a beam of ice. Encompassing the man's hand in a solid block, she used her power to pull him back into the boat, and then collapsed, her exhausted and pained breathing now turning into panting.

As she lay back down, her stomach clenching painfully, Odd cradled her head in his lap, stroking her wet hair back from her face. He looked as if he was struggling, his breathing almost as heavy as Elsa's was, and his movements were stiff, his limbs slow and heavy from the extensive effort of keeping himself, Mia and Elsa afloat.

As Mia began to awaken a little more, she slowly began to wriggle, and the movement made Elsa groan in discomfort, her pain easing, but the struggle made her abdomen protest.

Slowly, Odd managed to pry the child away from Elsa, her subconscious recognising him as a friend, not a foe, and Odd quickly laid her down at the other end of the rowing boat. The soldiers fought against the current fiercely, and the poor Queen felt nausea rise in her throat as they rose and fell over one particular large, bumpy wave. She sat up quickly, making her head spin and dots dance in front of her eyes, as she felt vomit rise in her throat, and she wretched over the edge of the craft.

Odd stroked her back slowly as she groaned, and lay back down, not having the energy to sit up. She almost cried with relief when they finally reached the ship, although by this point, small tears were already in the side of her eyes from the intense, overwhelming pain.

Quickly, the crew helped to hoist the rowing boat up to the top deck, and many of the men were shocked to see their Queen looking as if she was nine months pregnant, not five. That being said, considering the pain in her abdomen, and the fact that her waters had already broken - as far as she could tell - it seemed that Ayla's spell really had made her pregnancy advance at an incredible rate.

By the way her stomach still seemed to be getting bigger, it was obvious that it was not very likely that it was going to stop. She was going to keep getting further along in her pregnancy, and no doubt very soon, she'd be at an 'overdue' state, and would lose her child.

As she was lifted up, she whimpered quietly, trying to show as little weakness as possible, as the pressure on her abdomen moved further down, and grew much more intense. She looked up slowly, her eyes shining from pain, and noticed the man who had saved her earlier; it was the soldier she'd helped before, and she gave him a small smile, before her face contorted in a agonised grimace. The man returned the gesture, nodding to show her that she was welcome, and then he looked away. Elsa could only assume he was uncomfortable with the current situation, and who wouldn't be?

A massive wave rocked the ship, and Elsa had to grab hold of Odd to stop herself from falling out of the little boat, who in turn, grabbed hold of Mia. The shock caught the poor Queen off guard, and a quiet scream of pain tore from her lips as the biggest wave of pain she'd felt yet pushed down upon her. The force seemed to not want to quit, and it was then Elsa truly understood - her baby was coming now.

When the little boat was pulled onto the main deck, Odd was the first to act - jumping up, he picked Elsa up quickly and rushed into their cabin, yelling with a hoarse voice for the Doctor as he went. Placing her down on the bed, he quickly rushed to her side and stroked her head, letting her squeeze his hand at the pain, and he did not say a word. He had grown up in nature, and knew how hard it was for animals to give birth, let alone for women - because humans were bipedal, their hips were smaller than they would otherwise be, and because of their growing brains, their heads were also bigger.

Odd didn't envy his wife in the slightest at the task ahead of her.

It shouldn't have been happening like this; he'd only found out he was going to be a father that morning, and now, here they were.

The doctor came in quickly after, looking quite nervous, and Odd had no doubt that he hadn't expected this to happen yet - in theory, they shouldn't have been in this situation for another four months, or so, but there wasn't any point in complaining now. There was nothing they could do.

The Doctor quickly came over to Elsa and glanced around, frowning, and he turned to Odd, looking unsure. "Do you know if there is any spare bedding? I'm afraid I do not have any provisions to protect the sheets from blood, but if there is nothing spare, I'm afraid it would be an even more uncomfortable birth on the floor."

Elsa began to move slowly, as if she was trying to get up and onto the floor, but Odd placed his hands on her shoulders and softly pushed her back down. "I'm not sure, but if there's not, we'll work something out. She can't have the child on the floor." His voice was strong, and though his mind was racing with doubts and worries, he did not let the emotions seep into his words - if Elsa could sense his fear, it would only be worse for her.

The Doctor nodded, looking unsure, but he wasn't going to disobey the man - after all, he was Elsa's consort, and as such, had authority to make the decisions, only out-ruled by the Queen herself. There was nothing the Doctor could do to change these decisions, for he was of a lesser status; all he could do was abide by them.

Slowly, he turned to Odd, nodding. "Of course, Prince Odd." He said, and he glanced back over to Elsa as she groaned under her breath. "I'm afraid that I will have to ask you to leave now, your Highness," He added respectfully, and though Odd had been expecting this, he felt bad as he saw Elsa's pained expression. None the less, he squeezed her hand encouragingly, and turned away, slowly heading to the door.

Elsa's eyes widened, and she watched as her husband began to leave. She didn't miss the glance he sent back at her, and she could see how much it was hurting him to leave her again, in her state now. He paused by the door, and as the pain wracked her body again, she could hear the doctor trying to encourage him to go.

"I'm sorry, Sir." He said, quickly, sounding rushed. "You must go - I cannot allow you to stay here; it is not custom for a man to witness the birth of a child. You can't help the Queen in her state now - the sooner you leave, the quicker we can get this over with."

Odd sighed and began to turn away, and Elsa felt her heart drop from her chest. "P-please, Doctor..." She whispered, and her voice made Odd stop again. "I can't do this alone..." She averted her gaze to meet Odd's eyes, and she silently pleaded with him to stay.

He didn't seem to need much convincing.

"Doctor, I need to stay here." He said, stubbornly. "I can't leave Elsa like this." He quickly ran back to her side, and knelt down, taking her hand. "I'll stay here, and I won't interfere at all. Just let me stay here with her."

The Doctor sighed. "Fine, fine. We don't have time to argue - I fear that the curse placed upon Elsa was designed to make her pregnancy progress at an incredible rate - if we don't act fast, I'm afraid there is a good chance she'll not only lose the baby, but her life could also be endangered."

Odd's eyes widened and his grip on Elsa's hand tightened protectively, as she gasped in shock. She returned the squeeze as the pain intensified, and she had to bite back a scream.

"Your Majesty," The Doctor said, "I'm going to need you to try to relax as much as you can. We're going to have to get this child born as soon as possible, so you're going to have to just trust me."

Elsa nodded dumbly as she tried to focus on her breathing, and Odd smoothed her hair back from her face.

"I'm sorry, Elsa... I'm sorry for putting you through all this..." He softly kissed her forehead, yet he couldn't help but worry if it was his fault after all - he didn't know what the imposter had done to Elsa, and it sickened him to think of it.

The Queen squeezed his hand softly and shook her head slowly, signifying that she didn't blame him, and she gritted her teeth as the pain finally eased away. She sighed in relief, and sat up a little straighter, uncomfortably. The Doctor seemed to relax slightly, and he stood up straighter, looking relieved.

"It appears to me your last contraction has passed, so in theory, it should be a minute or two until the next one. In the meantime, I'm going to find Ida to help with the delivery, because in my experience, it often helps to have another woman present at times like this. I'll be as fast as I can - in the meantime, try to get comfortable, and Odd - I'm counting on you to help her dry off and keep warm. If she's cold her pain will only be worse."

Odd nodded his understanding as the Doctor hurried off, and he helped Elsa sit up straighter, rubbing her shoulders soothingly. She sighed at the calming massage, relaxing into his body slightly, and though she was breathing heavily, she seemed otherwise fine.

"Thanks, Odd." She whispered, and turned to face him slightly, her brow still creased from pain and her eyes still shining from the hurt, but she gave a weak smile. "It's not your fault, though. Don't blame yourself, Odd - don't worry. I'll be okay." She paused for a moment, and let out a sigh. "I'm just glad you don't mind staying with me, but... you don't have to. I must look a state, and it can't be nice to watch..."

Odd gave Elsa a reassuring smile. "Hey, hey," He said, stroking her head again, "I've seen animals giving birth before, growing up in the forest - I think I can deal with it."

Elsa smiled, but then yelped as another contraction hit, and Odd's eyes widened. He quickly took his wife's hand and held it, letting her squeeze it as hard as she needed, and he leaned closer, kissing her forehead again, trying to comfort her.

"Shush, shush, Sweetie. It's okay..." He encouraged her, and Elsa groaned as the pressure on her abdomen grew stronger than it ever had before. Odd couldn't have been more relieved when the Doctor returned with his Mother - he wasn't sure how to help her on his own, and didn't want to give her any wrong advice.

He'd helped struggling animals before as he grew up, but never had he helped a woman give birth. It was similar, yet so different too - how Kristoff had managed to keep his cool, Odd wasn't quite sure.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he saw Elsa struggling again, and he rushed over quickly, looking worried.

"It would seem you are further along than I thought, your Highness. This may be slightly distressing, but I'm afraid you're going to have to birth your child now. Otherwise, there may be little hope for both you and the baby."

Elsa gasped, and in her momentary distraction, the massive wave of pain made her scream out. Odd winced slightly as he felt all the blood in his hand get cut off from his fingers, but he didn't complain once, accepting that the hurt he felt now was probably nothing in comparison to what Elsa was feeling.

Ida came over to Elsa and reached across to her son, handing him a cold flannel. "Dab her head with this - it'll help keep her cool." She then bent down and faced Elsa, glancing at her sympathetically. "Okay, your body's ready for you to have the child now, Dear." Elsa's eyes widened in fear, something she hadn't been expecting for four months yet. "I know this is frightening, but the truth is, you haven't got a choice. It's now or never... literally."

The Doctor nodded at Ida's words. "She's right, your Majesty," He commented, "You're going to have to listen to me now, and I'll do everything in my power to keep you healthy."

The Doctor's words didn't reassure Elsa in the slightest, but she nodded stiffly, and Odd continued to dab her head with the napkin, as she let out a yelp of pain, before the contraction finally passed for a minute, maybe less.

"Okay, Queen Elsa, you're going to have to push on the next contraction. Your body knows what to do - just let it do what it is designed to, and make sure to keep breathing. It's going to hurt horrendously, I won't lie, but just keep breathing and pushing."

Elsa nodded, and as the next contraction struck, she screamed, as she began to push down as hard as she could. The pain made tears form in her eyes and run down her cheeks, and she felt as if she was being torn to pieces.

"That's it, Sweetie," Odd breathed in her ear, "You're doing brilliantly."

Elsa only whimpered in response, and she squeezed his hand harder, the pressure relieving some of her own pain. His fingers were blue now, and he had sharp marks over the back of his hands from his wife's nails, where blood droplets were beginning to form.

The contraction passed for a second, and Elsa gasped for air, her lungs burning, and her body feeling like it had been ripped to shreds. She gratefully accepted a small glass of water from Ida, and she slowly sat up a little at the doctor's command. Her arms were shaking and her vision was blurry - through the tears, she could see a massive red circle of blood soaking the bed sheets and her body was protesting from the pain. The sight of the blood made her feel sick, and she closed her eyes and moaned as the next contraction hit.

Bearing down, she pushed again, and she let out another yelp. Odd continued to hold her hand faithfully, continuously dabbing her head with the cloth, and helping her to have sips of water.

Just over five minutes later, Elsa began to shake ferociously, her body weak and tired. Her eyes were closing from both pain and exhaustion, her skin was even paler than normal, and she'd lost the pink tint in her cheeks. When the doctor told her she had to push one last time, she nearly broke down in tears.

"I c-can't!" She choked out, her voice quiet from her exhaustion. "I just cant!"

The Doctor sighed. "Elsa, I know this is hard for you. The baby is continuing to grow still from the curse - the longer it takes, the bigger it's going to get. It's now the size of what it would be if you were two and a bit weeks late."

Odd's own tired eyes widened, and he looked Elsa directly. "Come on, Sweetie." He whispered encouragingly, "If you don't do this now, it's only going to get worse. The curse Ayla put on you is going to mean the baby will keep on growing until it's born, I'm sure - if you're not careful, it will grow too big, and will kill you."

Elsa whimpered again, too tired to do anything else, and Odd's words clearly had no effect on her. She seemed to be zoning out, and he had to squeeze her hand forcefully to keep her awake.

"Come on, Elsa!" He whispered again, "You're strong, you can do this. One more, and this will all be over. I promise you, just one more. If you don't, the baby will die. You can't let that happen now, after all you've been through to get him here already."

He didn't mention that she would die, too.

Softly, Elsa squeezed his hand tiredly, looking at him desperately, as she pushed down one last time with a massive grunt of effort - she was too tired to even scream. Odd stroked the back of her hand with numb fingers reassuringly, talking about anything he could to distract her.

"That's it, think about Mia... Can you imagine how happy she'll be to see Lysse again? And Seier can stop howling every other night, pining for her - yes, yes, that's it! And just imagine how happy Anna will be! She'll probably start crying with happiness when she sees her - do you think she'll cry?"

Elsa gave a weak smile and nodded, and then with one final push, the sound of a squalling child filled the room.

It was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard.

Odd grinned happily and wiped Elsa's head again, before softly kissing her and stroking her cheek.

"I said you could do it, didn't I?" He commented, as Ida quickly cleaned the baby, who was nearly three times the size of Mia when she was born, and slowly lifted it up to place on Elsa's stomach. She smiled weakly as she saw her child lying there, screaming but very much alive and real, and she sighed as she relaxed against the pillow behind her. She was sore and exhausted, but the intense joy she felt now out-ruled it all.

She slowly looked up at Odd and gave a wobbly smile, and he bent down to cradle her head, his eyes shining happily, and he grinned at her proudly.

"Congratulations, Queen Elsa." The Doctor said, as he stood up to leave. "You've got a very handsome son indeed." Nodding, he turned around and quickly left the room to clean up, and Elsa could almost have laughed with happiness.

"A son, Odd!" She whispered, happily, feeling dizzy from happiness, as she looked down at the crying baby boy. "We have a son!"

Odd grinned down at her and nodded, and he softly reached out to touch the crying child's soft head, a large smile across his face as he felt a soft tuft of hair which, upon inspection, was dark brown in colour, just like his own.

"We do," He whispered and rested his cheek against hers for a minute, before his Mother reached down to help Elsa sit up a little straighter.

She smiled as she saw the little boy in her daughter-in-law's arms, and a tear escaped from the corner of her eye. "He's beautiful," She whispered, but then straightened a little, smiling at Elsa. "We're going to need to get you cleaned up, Dear, and do something with the bedsheet - it's fair to say that it's going to be ruined, but no matter, no matter. First, though, I think you'll want to feed the little one before his crying makes the windows shatter... Odd? Could you find us a small towel, please, to cover Elsa over?"

Odd nodded, and grinned at his wife proudly again before he tiredly rushed over to the chest of drawers, pulling out a muslin cloth and hurrying back to hand it to the pair. He looked away respectfully as Elsa helped the child latch on, before she covered herself over and he sat down next to her.

Ida smiled at the new mother. "Don't worry, Dear - we'll find you a wet nurse when we get back to the kingdom. For the meantime, though, you'll just have to feed him yourself."

Elsa nodded numbly, feeling a sinking feeling in her chest - it was custom, but she wasn't sure that she really wanted someone else to care for her son.

Ida smiled and congratulated Elsa one more time, and then she looked over to Odd. "I need to get these sheets off before the mattress is also ruined," She said, gesturing to the red mark that stained almost half of the bed. Elsa looked away sheepishly, feeling bad and embarrassed, but Odd squeezed her hand, telling her that it was okay. "I'm going to need you to help move her so that I can do that. Is that okay? You could put her on the sofa - I'm sure she can be cleaned up a little later."

Odd nodded, and glanced at Elsa questioningly, asking her if that was okay. Slowly she smiled in response as she awkwardly tried to stand up, but her body was weak and she didn't have the strength.

Bending down, Odd helped by picked her up bridal style, taking care not to disturb the seemingly contented child, and he stumbled over to the sofa, putting her down softly, and then sitting next to her.

Elsa smiled at him, and then glanced down at the little head poking out from under the muslin, her heart crying with happiness. Odd laughed softly at the sheer joy of the moment and then stood up on weak, shaking legs, heading off to wash his arm which was now covered in blood. It wasn't nice, but he didn't make a fuss - he was too happy to be bothered by it anyway.

Ida smiled as she glanced at Elsa one last time, before removing the sheets and heading out of the cabin to try and find a new mattress cover. Alas, she failed in her quest, and had to improvise by using an old, thin duvet instead.

All the while, the storm continued to howl outside, battering the ship relentlessly, but neither Elsa nor Odd payed it any attention, as both fell asleep, exhausted, fatigued and finally at peace, their new son laying on Elsa's stomach quietly, blowing milky bubbles as he breathed in and out, also at rest.

* * *

**Yay, a happy ending at last :D I liked writing this chapter (well, it was a bit weird, but I liked the bit when Elsa was told she'd had a son - it made me feel all bubbly and happy inside as I wrote it. Haha, I'm really sad. xD**

**Anyway, sorry it's late - I've been slacking off. I would have gotten it published on Friday but I had to stay at my Grandparents' house overnight and then all Saturday too while my parents went to some sort of goat meeting thing. And I forgot my laptop charger -_-**

**Anyway, it's a long chapter again, so hopefully that makes up for it, and I hope the whole birth bit wasn't to gross to read - I tried to keep it PG, so if I failed, sorry.**

**I didn't get many reviews again last chapter, although the ones I did get were really helpful, so thank you for them, to those of you who did give me a comment. I appreciate it!**

**Now, this is a pretty obvious challenge, but hey, who cares? Haha, we now know Elsa and Odd had a boy, but now it's over to you - what should his name be? I'll take all ideas into account (but please, if you want to give an idea, I'm asking for at least one sentence comment on the chapter first!) If I don't choose your name, by the way, don't be offended, I just didn't want to call the kid that xD If it's not a Norwegian name, I might also change it to it's counterpart as well, simply because I'm trying to stick to the story here, and all the characters' names in Frozen are Norwegian.**

**So, yeah. I look forward to hearing your comments, and I'll see you soon!**

**-SG**


	44. Chapter 44 - dedicated to TailsDoll13

_**Elsa smiled at him, and then glanced down at the little head poking out from under the muslin, her heart crying with happiness. Odd laughed softly at the sheer joy of the moment and then stood up on weak, shaking legs, heading off to wash his arm which was now covered in blood. It wasn't nice, but he didn't make a fuss - he was too happy to be bothered by it anyway.**_

_**Ida smiled as she glanced at Elsa one last time, before removing the sheets and heading out of the cabin to try and find a new mattress cover. Alas, she failed in her quest, and had to improvise by using an old, thin duvet instead.**_

_**All the while, the storm continued to howl outside, battering the ship relentlessly, but neither Elsa nor Odd payed it any attention, as both fell asleep, exhausted, fatigued and finally at peace, their new son laying on Elsa's stomach quietly, blowing milky bubbles as he breathed in and out, also at rest.**_

* * *

Elsa's weary blue eyes opened slowly, and she frowned as she felt something laying upon her breast. She could feel someone next to her too, and through her blurred eyes, she could see a head of dark brown hair, which made her heart soar. It was nice to wake up next to Odd again - she'd missed him so much.

Feeling the thing on her chest move, she glanced up and saw the muslin cloth with the small, delicate head poking out, and she smiled as she remembered what had happened.

Her son.

It was a surreal thought, she observed as she watched him sleeping, snoring very gently, very softly, in a way that only a young baby could. To think that just over five years ago, she'd resigned to the fact that she could never have children, for fear that she'd pass the curse over to them - hell, she'd come to the conclusion then that she'd never even let anyone she loved, such as her sister, into her life, for fear she'd hurt them!

She laughed slightly at the ironic nature of it, but the movement of her chest shocked the baby awake, and his wailing almost made her ears pop. She cringed slightly as she stroked his soft head, and helped him to find her breast again, effectively settling him down.

By now, Odd was awake too, and Elsa was shocked at how horrible he looked, with massive bags under his eyes, gashes across his face and dark bruises over every inch of his skin. It sickened her to think what had been done to him - she tried to divert her trail of thoughts away from it.

Odd chuckled as he saw the little boy feeding hungrily, shaking his head in amusement. "He's a greedy boy," He commented, and Elsa had to smile too.

"He gets it from you," She replied, grinning, although her sore, aching body made her a little less enthusiastic that she would have otherwise been. It seemed both she and Odd had been through the wars recently. "I'm a Queen, it's not in my job description to be greedy, so it must be your fault."

Odd rolled his eyes. "So, Princes are greedy?" He asked, and Elsa smiled at him warmly, nodding, her eyes, though shining with pain, also shimmered with amusement.

"No, Princes are meant to be gentlemen. You must just be an exception to the rule."

Odd laughed, kissing Elsa's forehead softly, and she giggled like a little girl again, even if she had just had a child. Perhaps 'little girl' didn't apply to her anymore, considering she was a mother now.

Then again, she'd never had much of a childhood.

She was shocked out of her thoughts as she felt the little baby move away from her, and she laughed as he hiccuped, little bubbles of milk coming from his mouth, as Elsa rushed to support his lolling head. Odd nudged her shoulder, smiling warmly as he laughed at his son's hiccups.

"You're getting the hang of this already," He commented, and Elsa nodded, also laughing slightly. She smiled happily, and looked down at the very new-born child, who was also staring at her with an inquisitive expression, and his large, bright-blue eyes sparkled in the candlelight.

"He really looks like you," Elsa commented fondly to her husband, "He has your face shape, your nose and your almond-shaped eyes, and a tiny little bit of your hair. I can't even tell if he's my own son!" Odd chuckled as the child tore his gaze away from his Mother and yawned again. He closed his eyes as if opening them had tired him out, and he blindly reached for the nipple again. After a few seconds, with a little guidance from Elsa, he soon found his prize, and as lay in her arms, he let out quiet grunts of contentment.

Odd smiled at his wife and new son, grinning at the baby boy. "I guess he _does_ look quite a bit like me, but his eyes are the same colour as yours are. They really sparkle in the candlelight... he looks like he'll be cheeky when he grows up."

Elsa nodded, and her mind strayed to the rest of her family back home. "Like Anna," She commented, her own eyes shining. "She really is a devil... She always was, in fact. Did I ever tell you about the time she filled my room with fish when we were kids as a punishment for my ignoring her?"

Odd chuckled, nodding in amusement. "I think I remember that - it's why you don't like fish, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It put me off for life - I can still remember the horrid smell that came with that prank! I still cringe when I think about it too much!"

Odd chuckled, and Elsa sat up a little, shocking the boy from his previous, comfortable position. She gasped, quickly reaching for the child before he fell back, and she let out a sigh of relief as Odd moved faster, catching the now-wailing boy and pulling him close to his own chest. He looked down at his son adoringly - he couldn't fathom how someone as unworthy as him could have helped to make something so perfect.

He handed the little boy back to Elsa, and she cradled him, glancing at Odd helplessly. She had a panicked expression in her eyes, as she desperately tried to soothe the wailing child, but to no avail. Slowly, she began to rock back and forth, hoping that the motion might soothe her son, but the little boy was having none of it, as he continued to scream.

Slowly, she raised him up to her breast again, and let out a sigh of relief as the child latched on once again, his sobs quietening.

"Thank Goodness that's over." She muttered, "I don't remember Mia ever crying that loud!"

Odd laughed. "Boys are always going to be more trouble, that's common sense." He grinned at Elsa as she sighed again, this time for dramatic effect, and she laughed along with him. She frowned again as felt the baby slip down, and when she peeked under the muslin covering him, she had to bite back a soft laugh; her son was sleeping once again, his head hidden in the warm alcove that was the space under Elsa's left breast. His mouth was parted slightly, and his hands were clenched in tiny fists which made her coo softly.

She pulled back the muslin slightly, though still covering herself, to show Odd the little sleeping boy, and he grinned, as he softly stroked the little baby's tender head.

"Eating is very tiring," He said in a falsely serious voice, and Elsa giggled, nodding.

"Oh, but of course!" She replied between soft laughs. "Besides, he'll need his energy to deal with Anna when we get back home - she's going to go crazy with excitement." She paused for a moment, as a memory hit her. "In fact, I remember that she had Mia without me knowing - she wasn't meant to have her for a couple more weeks. You can imagine my surprise when she came home from her day out with Kristoff a day late with a little baby girl in her arms!"

Odd nodded, laughing, and he shook his head. "You two can't seem to do things normally, can you?" He questioned, though it was more of a statement, and Elsa shook her head in amusement, before becoming quiet again as the little boy softly wriggled.

She frowned, thinking for a moment. "You know, we need a name for him..." She began, thinking, "I wasn't expecting him to come our way for a couple of months yet - I haven't even thought about names yet! Do you have any ideas?"

Odd rolled his eyes. "Elsa, you've known you were pregnant for, what, a couple of months? I've known for less than a day, and yet here we are!"

"Oh, right," Elsa trailed off in thought, and her face fell sadly when something hit her. "I didn't tell you what happened to Mia's little friend, Arne, did I?"

Odd's frowned in both concern and confusion as he shook his head, and Elsa let out a sigh. "Well, you know Arne? The boy with one arm?" Odd nodded his affirmation, and a tear escaped the Queen's eye. She'd so loved the boy. "He's dead."

Shock instantly registered on Odd's face, and he had to sit down on the floor before he fell. His eyes went wide, as he muttered, "D-dead?" And Elsa nodded slowly, then let out a gasp of horror.

"Oh, God, Odd..." She trailed off, her eyes shining with sympathy, and his heart rate only increased as she looked at him with large blue orbs full of compassion. "Oh, Gosh, I don't know how to say this..."

Odd's mind was racing, and he slowly muttered questioningly, "Elsa...?"

"Your s-sister..." The Queen managed to whisper, and Odd's eyes widened in shock and horror. He pushed back from his wife, as if he could get away from what she had just said by getting away from her. He shook his head, helplessly.

"No..." He said quietly, and his hands curled into fists, banging them on the ground in anger. "No! No! No!" He hung his head, shaking it in denial, his brown hair falling over his face and covering his eyes. Elsa felt her heart sink in her chest, and more tears came to her eyes.

"How?" Odd eventually managed to choke out, and as he looked up at her, Elsa could see the regret in his eyes - he looked as if he was blaming himself for his sister's death, but there was nothing he could have done anything, because he wasn't there. Then again, perhaps that was where the problem lay - he hadn't been around to stop it.

"Do you really want to know?" Elsa said questioningly, and though it was obvious to Odd what had happened now, he still held that slight sliver of hope that one always clings to in times of desperation. He nodded slowly, hoping that his sister would at least have had a pain free death.

Elsa's eyes were shining with tears of sorrow for her husband, and quietly, she began to mutter a response. "Dagvin - the man posing to be you... We think he was involved." She took a deep breath, and watched Odd's reaction unsurely, wondering whether it would be kinder to twist the truth very slightly or not.

"Please tell me, Elsa." He slowly said, his voice amazingly steady. "Please, tell me. I need to know."

Elsa sighed sadly. "We don't know very much, Odd... It's safe to say that she was k-killed by Dagvin, but other than that, I'm not sure what happened." She didn't want to mention how much pain the poor teenager, who had seen so much horror in her short life, must have been in.

Odd nodded, sadly, and he turned his head away again. He was always so strong, but Elsa could hear the his choked cries of anguish.

"Come here, Odd..." She whispered, her voice soft and reassuring. Slowly Odd came over to her and sat next to his wife on the sofa, and with gentle movements, Elsa softly picked her son off of her lap, and gently placed the sleeping babe in her husband's arms.

Odd looked down at the softly snoring child, and a small smile broke through on his grief stricken face, as his eyes softened a little. Rare tears still rolled down his cheeks, but he was a little more comforted, and as the child rolled over in his arms, he smiled a little wider.

Reaching up to his eyes, he wiped away the tears and looked at Elsa with a more determined look upon his face. "Heidi wouldn't have wanted me to grieve her," He said, in a quiet but unshaking voice. "She'd want me to get on with my life, and focus on little man here."

Elsa smiled and nodded, and squeezed his hand reassuringly. He grinned at her, and then looked at his little son, who was laying in his arms.

"We still need a name for him, you know..." He prompted, and Elsa nodded in agreement.

"I know," She said, "But I'm not sure... I was thinking, perhaps, Arne? In memory of him - you know, Mia's friend?"

Odd didn't looked convinced, and he frowned in an unconvinced manner. "I don't know, Elsa... It's up to you, but can't we name him something else? My father's name was Arne... I'd hate to feel like I was paying him any respect by having a son named after him."

Elsa nodded, and considered things for a moment. "How about Fredrik, after my Grandfather?" She suggested, "The name means peace, or something along those lines, which I think is quite an amiable trait to have? Perhaps he'll live up to his name? And we can always shorten it to Freddie, which is just cute."

Odd smiled weakly, a small chuckle escaping his mouth. "That'll satisfy Anna then. She'd probably sue you if you didn't give her some sort of nickname to use." He shook his head in amusement. "We still need a middle name for him, though... how about Aleksander? I don't know if it means anything, but it has a nice ring to it... Fredrik Alexander, don't you think?"

Elsa nodded, squeezing his hand comfortingly again, and she smiled. "I like it. Fredrik Aleksander - it's perfect!"

Odd grinned as he looked at the little boy with pride. He wondered if his sister had felt such joy when she named her own baby girl, or if she'd hated the child, at least at first, for reminding her of what she'd been through.

Of course, both were gone now. Only his mother might know, but he didn't really want to ask her - he'd run away as a young teenager to get away from his family, living in the forests of Arendelle for the rest of his life until he met Elsa, to keep Heidi safe from himself, after he'd hurt her accidentally. He was willing then to grow up without her and his mother, and it was his fault he missed the moments he wondered about now in his sister's life. He couldn't just butt in when it suited him.

Elsa smiled, as she rested her head on Odd's shoulder and cuddled into him, sighing. He smiled weakly, but his mind still trailed to his sister.

_I'm sorry, Heidi,_ He thought to himself, as he lay back into the sofa, letting his body mold into the fabric, and Elsa curled up around his shoulder. Her hand was laying across his body, protectively placed near little Freddie's body as she drifted off into a nap, and he smiled at his wife and son, but his heart was still heavy. _I'm sorry, Sis. I'll make sure I get revenge on the ones who did this to you. This was a joint murder. It wasn't just Dagvin, I'm sure of it._

He glanced out over the waters to where the Southern Isles had been before. _I will get revenge on the ones who did this to you. As soon as they show up again, I will._

He closed his eyes, and tried to keep his breathing steady. He would avenge his sister - until then, he would just have to make sure everything else was perfect.

"Happy Boxing Day, Elsa," He whispered, and sighed quietly as he stroked his son's soft head distractedly, simply enjoying the comfort and joy he got from his family's presence. He'd missed his wife so much, and now, he had a baby son, too.

The relentless waves continued to batter the ship for the rest of the night, but Odd was not bothered by them, happy from being with his family, and reassured that he could get revenge for his sister.

When his mother returned to the room ten minutes later, he faithfully carried Elsa over to the bed and placed her down on the covers, not wanting to allow her to walk when her body was still sore from the birth. He helped his mother get Frederik into the ice-crib that Elsa had made for him, laying the child top of a spare pillow so that his little body didn't freeze when it touched the ice, and covering him over with one of his own jumpers, for lack of anything else to keep the baby warm.

As he said goodnight to his mother, he climbed into bed with Elsa, and sighed as he curled up under the covers. He hadn't slept this well in what felt like years.

He smiled as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his chest, and he soon fell asleep as his world finally began to fall back into place.

* * *

Anna sighed, as she watched the waves battering the edges of her kingdom, and she lay her head in her hands, sadly. Caught up in her thoughts, she didn't hear Kristoff coming up behind her, and she gasped when he came to her side, watching her with an inquisitive expression.

"What's wrong, Anna?" He asked, as he sat down next to her on the window seat, and she sighed as she leaned into him.

"I'm worried about Elsa. Something just feels... off. As if something's gone wrong. And, I can't get the disappearing ships out of my head - I keep thinking about them. How can they just disappear like they did?"

Kristoff shrugged. "I'm not sure, Anna." He said, and then he pulled her to her feet, "But what I do know is that _you_ need to get to bed. You'll be exhausted tomorrow if you don't and we have to get a trip scheduled to the trolls if you want any information."

Anna nodded reluctantly, and allowed her husband to drag her over to the bed. As she snuggled cozily under the covers, her mind wandered to her own daughter, and she was worried that something had happened to her. She was scared for her sister, too - she just had a feeling that something had gone wrong.

She shook her head, and closed her eyes.

She was just being paranoid.

Everything was fine, Elsa would be heading home with Mia and Odd soon... And they'd both be absolutely fine...

She shook her head in frustration as the unease returned, and she couldn't help but feel that it had something to do with her sister's pregnancy. She just hoped nothing bad had happened - though she had been bitter when she first learned of it, feeling jealous, she'd grown out of that now.

Sleep soon took hold of her mind, and as she drifted off to sleep, she dreamed of family, and love, and she was content and relaxed in her unconscious state.

Sleeping was so much nicer than being awake, sometimes.

* * *

**Okay, so, I got carried away with the baby names ;) Freddie's like the baby I never had - at least yet, I'm fifteen, I'm not ready for a kid in my opinion - and so is Mia, they're my own little children (in all but blood and actual existence!)! So, I couldn't resist looking up a few names, and I couldn't help but choose Fredrik, because of its meaning. I think after everything, people would just want peace, and considering Fredrik means 'peaceful ruler', it sort of fit... **

**And anyway, Norway actually did have a king Frederick in the 1760s, and considering Frozen is probably set in the early 1800s or so, technically he could have been Elsa's Grandfather. Even if not, who cares? **

**One other reason, my Grandad's currently in hospital having a hip operation, so it's a tribute to him too xD hopefully he'll be out soon  
**

**Still, though, I couldn't help but feel bad for not using your suggestions, so I used a couple as his middle name! Yay!  
**

**Also, I expect I'll get quite a few grumpy comments that the fact that Odd's father just _happens_ to be called Arne, just when Elsa suggests it for the baby's name, but it was actually mentioned once in the last book that Odd was 'Arne's boy'. Just to point that out before I get a storm of haters. ;)**

**Anyway, I need a challenge for this chapter... okay, choose a trait that you want Freddie to have, and the two which I like the most - whether they be good or bad - I'll give to him! **

**See you around**

**SG**


	45. 45 - dedicated to JuneBTeacher (guest)

_**She was just being paranoid.**_

_**Everything was fine, Elsa would be heading home with Mia and Odd soon... And they'd both be absolutely fine...**_

_**She shook her head in frustration as the unease returned, and she couldn't help but feel that it had something to do with her sister's pregnancy. She just hoped nothing bad had happened - though she had been bitter when she first learned of it, feeling jealous, she'd grown out of that now.**_

_**Sleep soon took hold of her mind, and as she drifted off to sleep, she dreamed of family, and love, and she was content and relaxed in her unconscious state.**_

_**Sleeping was so much nicer than being awake, sometimes.**_

* * *

Elsa watched as the little Princess opened the door warily, and she peeked inside, looking nervous. Odd smiled as he watched his niece standing there timidly, and glancing at his wife to make sure she was okay, he walked towards Mia slowly. Her eyes were slightly wider than they would normally have been, tinted with a dash of fear, and she seemed to cringe slightly as Odd took hold of her petite, dainty hands in his own.

She smiled weakly as she stumbled over to Elsa, but with every step she took, the panic in her eyes seemed to grow stronger, until the small sparks of alarm had turned into a blazing inferno in the blue orbs. Her little hand shook, and Odd didn't miss the sign of fear. Softly, he used his finger to stroke the back of Mia's palm sooothingly, and Mia, though still terrified, was a little reassured as she continued to take unsteady steps towards her aunt.

Elsa's heart melted as she saw the terror in her niece's eyes as she came closer, and she had to fight to not display the anger she was feeling towards a Hans and Ayla on her face. She didn't want to scare the girl even more, and she had a right to be scared; who knew what horrors she'd seen.

Mia whimpered as she looked up at her Aunt, recoiling slightly, and it hurt the Queen that the she was so scared of her now, when she'd all but run at her earlier. In truth, though, Elsa had been protecting her then, so she must have appeared to be a safe person, whereas now, she was just sitting there and watching. To the young princess, she must have seemed like a potential enemy now that she wasn't clearly on her side, and after all she must have been through, Elsa really couldn't blame her.

"Come here, Sweetie," She whispered softly, her voice warm and inviting, but Mia still looked at her warily, and backed off a little, pulling her hand from Odd's as she shrunk back. Murmuring inaudibly, she looked down at the floor, and Elsa quickly noticed the ice snaking around the walls of her cabin. She cuddled Freddie closer to keep him warm, and felt her heart groan as she watched her husband shivering in the cold.

Hurriedly, she thawed the ice, and decided to try a different approach with her clearly scared niece. "Would you like to meet your cousin, Sweetheart? He wants to see you." She watched with hopeful eyes as Mia seemed to consider this for a second, but then the child shook her head, so that her bleach blonde hair fell in front of her face.

"No," She said, her voice quiet and filled with sadness. "No one like me. I worthless." She repeated the words she'd heard over the last few months, as they settled into her brain. As the time went by, they were beginning to settle on her mind, and she could hardly doubt their authenticity anymore.

Odd's eyes widened, and slowly, as if dealing with a wild animal which could spook if he moved too fast, he bent down and picked her up. Mia stiffened against him in fear, and he walked over to the bed with the child in his arms, softly laying her down on his side of the mattress, so that she was still near Elsa, but also at what could be considered a 'safe distance'.

Mia looked at Elsa warily, and she seemed to scoot closer to Odd, who seemed more approachable to her. After all, he hadn't been the one to attack her in the Southern Isles' castle, even though technically, she now knew that it hadn't actually been else who had been trying to hurt her. Just a vision, or something similar, but the memory still hurt.

Elsa's eyes were pained as she stroked Freddie's head distractedly. The small child squirmed slightly, and Mia's eyes locked on the little boy; for a moment, her mind cleared, and she felt a wave of happiness from the feeling of senselessness - no worries weighed upon her mind in that one moment as she looked at her little cousin. He was so small, so helpless, and yet he seemed quite comfortable in her aunt's arms. The baby's calm attitude helped reassure Mia, and she sighed as she relaxed, her position changing from stiff and alert, to one of a more peaceful demeanor.

Elsa smiled at her niece warmly, and she felt a sense of joy bubble up in her chest when the girl didnt flinch. She watched quietly for a few moments as Mia continuned to look at the baby boy in her aunt's arms, and then decided she ought to try again with the Princess, to see if she could make any progress with her. Perhaps it was good that she had time to get used to her Aunt and Uncle, learn to trust them again, before she met her parents after the months she'd been away; out of everyone, Elsa and Odd were, perhaps, the two most suited people for the job of helping her. Both had needed to learn to trust others again after their own disturbed childhoods, and as such, they would easily be the most understanding.

Elsa felt a little relief at this thought - if Mia had met back up with Anna straight out, then would her mother really have understood the situation she was in? Possibly not, whereas this way, there was more of a chance that the child would have a speedy recovery, or, at least, would get more confident. The events of one's past did tend to shape their character in later life, so it was highly likely that even though she was so young, the things she'd seen would still stick in her brain. As she aged, the memories would probably fade, but she'd probably still act as a result of them; in short, it was highly likely that she'd be controlled, if only a little, by her instincts which would have developed over these few months.

No doubt she'd end up being the sort of person who did not simply trust someone at the drop of a hat - she'd always be a suspicious or reserved person, probably, much unlike her mother. Anna had a nasty habit of trusting people the moment she met them - people like Hans - and it had undoubtedly gotten her into trouble in the past.

Elsa's eyes sparkled as she looked at her niece. "Would you like to say hello to him?" She asked, slowly pushing Freddie forward so as to show Mia, without scaring her. She studied him for a moment, and then smiled a proper smile for the first time in a long time, as the little baby's eyes slowly slid open. The newborn prince gurgled at his cousin when he saw her watching him, his fists batting the air pointlessly, and Mia's eyes sparkled in the candlelight.

Tentatively, the young princess stretched out her hand slowly towards the baby, and slowly stroked his head, marveling at the feel of the soft tufts of hair, and she smiled softly at him. In response, Freddie gurgled again at her, and Elsa's face broke out into a massive grin.

"Would you like to hold him, Sweetie?" She asked gently, and though Mia averted her eyes, looking down shyly, she nodded slowly. Elsa smiled at Odd triumphantly, and he gave her a nod in return, sending her a thumbs-up gesture, before turning her gaze back to her niece, who was still looking away from her.

"Okay, can you sit up straight for me, then, Sweetie?" She asked softly, and Mia slowly scooted backwards so that she was resting up straight against the back of the bed. She cringed at her aunt's touch as Elsa slowly moved her arms down into a position to hold the baby, and she seemed slightly unsure of herself as the little boy was lowered into her arms.

Freddie squirmed for a few seconds in Mia's arms, and the Princess' eyes widened slightly as she began to panic, not sure what to do, and relief was evident on her face when he finally settled. Staring up at her, he watched with interested eyes as she stared down at him, and when she smiled, he grew frustrated when he found he could not work out how to replicate the gesture, only succeeding in opening and closing his mouth like a little fish.

Freddie blinked slowly at her again as she giggled, and he reached up to her face with clumsy arms. Mia let out a little gasp as he grabbed hold of a lock of her hair, his grip incredibly strong, and the little girl began to panic again. She tried to wriggle free from the baby's grip, and when that failed, tried to push him off of her lap in her alarm.

Elsa gasped, but Odd was the first to intervene, as he reached forwards across the bed to pry Freddie away from his panicking cousin, and the boy, too, had began to squirm in aggravation, too. As he cradled his newborn son, trying to comfort the small boy, Elsa reached over to Mia, trying to reassure her too, but the girl wasn't ready for it yet.

As she saw her aunt offering her hand, her arms open as if she was offering an embrace, Mia whimpered slightly, and curled up into a little ball - she couldn't bring herself to trust anybody. Everyone who seemed to be kind and gentle had the capacity to be cruel and cold, too; she'd learned that the hard way, and wouldn't slip up again.

"Thank you for let hold baby." She said slowly, her voice shaking from her panic, and she turned away quickly. Climbing off of the bed, she slowly began to toddle away to the door, and Elsa moved to stand up, but Odd placed his hand firmly on her shoulder.

His reassuring smiled made Elsa relax slightly, but as she took Freddie from her husband, cuddling him close to try to calm him as he wriggled and squirmed, she watched her niece leave with eyes full of longing and despair.

"Leave her be, Elsa," He said, his voice both strong and soothing, "She'll be okay. Just give her a little time to get over it."

Elsa nodded, sadly, and then sat up a little straighter, gasping as a large wave rocked the boat, and she felt herself fall to the side, only to be caught by her husband. Laughing, she softly placed Fredrik in his little crib as he sucked on his fist, distracted, and then she sat straighter again on the bed. Reaching up to Odd, she placed her lips on his in a soft kiss.

Odd grinned at her and leaned down, placing kisses on her forehead and cheek, as she giggled like a little girl again.

Using her free hand to pull him down onto the bed with her, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her, and she closed her eyes as he leaned in, locking their souls in a second, deeper kiss as his body pressed against hers. A small moan came from the back of Elsa's throat as their embrace grew stronger; her lips parted slightly, and Odd was more than happy to oblige her wishes as the kiss grew more passionate.

Elsa felt herself getting overwhelmed with excitement, as she grazed her teeth gently against Odd's lower lip. She let her hand trail up to rest in his hair and she gripped on tightly to the dark brown mess as she felt her husband's hands trailing down her body, making her moan into his mouth with pleasure, delightful shivers wracking her body in a state of bliss.

She felt Odd's mouth pressing strongly against her own, and she could feel her core heating up with excitement, which she knew was wrong after just having a baby, and honestly she didn't care. She let her spare hand - the one which was not curled up in her husband's hair - roam also, and she felt herself heightening the kiss in eagerness.

Odd groaned as he continued to return her embrace, and his body began to relax more after all the torture he'd been through, his stiff muscles from battling the waves easing up. He relaxed against her, and she sighed at the even closer contact, as she shivered again in pleasure. He grazed her lip gently with his teeth, as she had done to him, and she gave him a rewarding shudder.

Odd leaned against his wife more, and then she let out a squeak as they were both sent toppling backwards, nearly falling off of the bed in a tangle.

The couple laughed, their faces bright red and they gasped for air, with eyes sparkling with excitement. Elsa giggled as she pushed Odd off of her, only just noticing her aching body, and she cringed slightly, but her expression was still one of happiness.

After so long, it was nice to have some relief.

Freddie rolled around in his crib happily again, as he began to suck on his thumb, kicking out at the air with his legs to amuse himself, and Odd chuckled at his son, while Elsa smiled warmly.

"I've been thinking, Odd..." She began, and then shook her head in amusement. "Oh, dear. However will we explain this to everyone back home?"

* * *

Anna laughed happily as she threw her pillow at her husband, who dodged it and sent his own back at her, letting it find it's mark with a dull thump.

"I thought you said that you weren't awake!" He teased, and grabbing his other pillow, sending it hurtling over to her before she could avoid it. Anna pouted cheekily and rushed over to him, pushing his shoulder playfully, with more force than she had originally intended.

Kristoff grunted as he felt his wife shoving him, and wasn't best pleased when he ended up hitting the floor with a muffled _thud. _Anna, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it immensely, as she fell on the bed in a fit of giggles.

"Now, now, Feistypants - play nice with the other kids!" Kristoff scolded in a mock-serious voice, and Anna only laughed harder. Watching him advancing towards her, she squealed as she tried to scramble off of the bed, and managed to slip off before he could catch her.

Shrieking happily, Anna ran as fast past Kristoff as her legs could carry her, but she could hear him advanced on her. Reaching the grand staircase, she slipped a little from her momentum as she grabbed hold of the banister to stop herself, and swung around onto the banister, sliding down quickly and laughing in glee as she escaped from her husband.

Kristoff chuckled as he hurried after his wife, jumping down the stairs three at a time, and Anna, who had previously slowed down feeling safe, quickly began running flat out again.

Kristoff grinned as he noticed how slippery the floor was, and the way it seemed to shine suggested it had recently been polished. Narrowing his eyes, he leaped from the bottom stair and slipped across the wood, and he made Anna squeal even louder when he caught her up.

Gasping for breath, but feeling exhilarated from her run, Anna laughed as she rushed into the stables, before realising that she'd gotten herself trapped. Giggling nervously as Kristoff advanced, she tried to dart around him, but failed - she felt herself falling onto the fresh hay as her husband stuck his foot out, and she could hear a howling sound very nearby.

Laughing, she rolled over onto her back, looking up to see Kristoff looming over her, and she let out a squeal as he began to tickle her without any sympathy, and she had to fight constantly. Eventually, she managed to wriggle her way free, only to be knocked over by an excited Sven trying to get a hug, nudging her expectantly and snorting when she pouted at him, going over to Kristoff for a scratch instead.

Slowly getting up again, Anna groaned as she saw Seier coming towards her out of the corner or her eye, and as the now-massive wolf launched himself at her, she rolled out of the way to avoid being squished. She squeezed her eyes shut, and the very thorough face wash which she had been anticipating followed soon after - she spluttered as she pushed the over-excitable animal off of her, and Seier huffed in a canine way.

Anna laughed, after wiping the saliva off of her face onto Kristoff's shirt, and she stroked Seier fondly, laughing as she watched her husband wrestling with Sven over the carrot in his belt.

She shook her head in amusement. Her family was so crazy that it was hard to measure how far off the 'normal scale' they actually registered.

Then again, she wouldn't change her family for the world.

* * *

**To WildVirus - if you want to make animations, then go ahead - knock yourself out, I'd love to see them if you can :D**

**To JuneBTeacher - yeah, believe it or not, I'm not a fan of school (no offence considering you seem to be a teacher). It's just so boring at times, and I always find that I make stupid mistakes... I go to a grammar school, and they always tell us we can do the A* work super easy, but when it comes to the D grade stuff we'll sit there for an hour because it just seems _too_ easy.**

**Anyway, sorry, I was planning to get this chapter updated two days ago but my brain decided to punish me (as normal) and I couldn't get into the writing mood.**

**Anyway, thanks for you challenge entries for last chapter. Now, we just need a challenge for this one... **

**Okay, so we need some happy scenes in the next chapter or two, before the end of this book (don't fear, this will be a trilogy so there'll be one more installment!) **

**Anyway, is there anything you want to see between any of the couples in the story? Maybe a HansxAyla scene, because *spoiler alert* they are not dead. They are still with us! Or another Elsodd, or Kristanna, or 'Punzie and Eugene? Which is your favourite couple? (Or which is your least favourite?)  
**

**Tell me - i might include more scenes with them (or less, if you so wish) in the future!**

**See you then,**

**SG**


	46. Chapter 46 - dedicated to Pabulover123

_**Laughing, she rolled over onto her back, looking up to see Kristoff looming over her, and she let out a squeal as he began to tickle her without any sympathy, and she had to fight constantly. Eventually, she managed to wriggle her way free, only to be knocked over by an excited Sven trying to get a hug, nudging her expectantly and snorting when she pouted at him, going over to Kristoff for a scratch instead.**_

_**Slowly getting up again, Anna groaned as she saw Seier coming towards her out of the corner or her eye, and as the now-massive wolf launched himself at her, she rolled out of the way to avoid being squished. She squeezed her eyes shut, and the very thorough face wash which she had been anticipating followed soon after - she spluttered as she pushed the over-excitable animal off of her, and Seier huffed in a canine way.**_

_**Anna laughed, after wiping the saliva off of her face onto Kristoff's shirt, and she stroked Seier fondly, laughing as she watched her husband wrestling with Sven over the carrot in his belt.**_

_**She shook her head in amusement. Her family was so crazy that it was hard to measure how far off the 'normal scale' they actually registered.**_

_**Then again, she wouldn't change her family for the world.**_

* * *

Anna giggled as she spun around in circles with Kristoff, trying - not for the first time, and certainly not for the last - to teach him how to dance. It was the twenty seventh of December now, and the New Years ball which she had planned for the kingdom was in just a few days time, meaning her partner _had_ to look his best. **  
**

Considering how poor his dancing skills were, his best probably wasn't good enough to make him look like a "proper" Prince in the eyes of some more... snooty people, but perhaps with a little last minute work he could at least work out how not to step on her toes?

She winced as his foot landed on top of hers, and she shook her head in amusement as he mumbled apology after apology.

_Maybe not, _she thought to herself, and it took all of her willpower to not roll her eyes at him. She guess, deep down, she knew that he'd never be a good dancer - it wasn't in his nature - but she still tried, and even though he failed every time, she still loved him anyway, even if it did mean she would need to find another partner to dance with at the ball. She didn't mind, really, because she knew that afterwards, she'd have him all to herself anyway. _  
_

After an hour of (in Kristoff's opinion, pointless) practice, Anna finally decided that they had done enough for the day, and she finally let him go to get some lunch. She laughed when she saw his relieved expression, and stood up on her tip-toes to softly peck him on the cheek, giggling happily at him.

It was strange - for the last few days, Anna had been so much happier than normal, and she knew it. Something in her heart had changed, but it wasn't as if she had forgotten about her daughter; rather, it felt as if somehow, her subconscious had relaxed, as if it had received some reassuring news about little Mia which settled her nerves down.

Entering the kitchen, Anna grinned as a delicious smell reached her and Kristoff's noses, and she jumped up and down in glee, looking forward to the meal.

"Now, now, Princess," A voice from behind the pair came, and Anna jumped around in shock, whereas Kristoff turned around a little more calmly, hearing the man coming. The chef chuckled at the Princess' reaction."Sorry, ma'am," He apologised, "But maybe you'd rather wait in the dining hall or the lounge? I can get a maid to bring you some food - it's a cold day, so I've made a baguette and some tomato soup to warm ya' both up."

Anna smiled at him and nodded, grinning as she skipped away to the lounge, and she leaped onto the sofa, laughing as she landed, laying down and giggling as Kristoff frowned in annoyance, losing his favourite spot on the seat. She smiled evilly at him as she stretched out to emphasize how comfy she was, and her husband huffed, rolling his eyes as he sat down on the couch across from him.

A knock came on the door, and Anna jumped up happily as a maid entered, bringing two steaming bowls of soup and two halves of a buttered baguette to go with each. She was even more pleased when she realised the maid had brought her a steaming mug of hot chocolate, too, and when she leaned forward eagerly, she could hear Kristoff chuckling at her from his seat, and she could just see him rolling his eyes at her in amusement.

"What?" Anna questioned him in frustration, "Does a girl not have the right to be excited over a hot chocolate?"

The maid's face broke into a little smiled as she set the tray down, and her eyes were shining with amusement as she turned and left quickly, obviously not wanting to be caught laughing at the Princess, not that Anna would have minded anyway.

Everyone else laughed at her, and she laughed at herself along with them. After all, she was so clumsy, she seemed to just attract attention, so what better way to get over being embarrassed than by joining in with her spectators?

Sitting up as she pulled her meal over to her, she patted the space on the sofa next to her, smiling apologetically at Kristoff for stealing his spot as she scooted over to the other side, and though it was a trivial thing, the man seemed to truly be happy to get his seat back. Collapsing down, he sighed as he sunk into the material and began on his lunch, but his head shot up when a woman entered the room.

"Sorry to disturb you, Ma'am, Sir," She said, and Anna snorted in a very unladylike fashion, as she tried to imagine Kristoff being the true gentleman people expected him to be, and then remembering how he spent his afternoons during winter - up in the mountains, harvesting ice in his old, comfortable work clothes.

Certainly not very formal, and it made the Princess laugh to think that people still had to refer to him that way. She couldn't help but wonder how the other ice harvesters acted towards him, now that he was a Prince, and the _official_ Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer.

* * *

Rapunzel smiled as she picked up a small chalk from the floor, carefully adding a few more lines of dark green to the lighter background on the wall behind her, before stepping back to admire her handiwork. She grinned at the image, a large Christmas tree, decorated with intricate little ball-balls and shining tinsel, which she'd arduously drawn on one strand at a time.

"Well, it's not awful." A deep voice from behind rang through the air, and Rapunzel spun around to find her husband standing there, grinning at her as he looked at her artwork. "You know, if you were to neaten up those rough edges and add a bit more detail, it might be half-decent."

Rapunzel looked up at the towering chalk picture above her, and she then glowered at him as he raised his hands in submission.

"Okay, okay!" He cried, "It's lovely!" He surrendered, as he took a step back in mock fear. Rapunzel laughed as she shook her head, and took a step back to see it in a better light.

"You know, though," Eugene commented absentmindedly, "I definitely think yours is the best here... considering the rest were done by kids." Rapunzel's eyes shone in amusement as she rolled her eyes at her husband, and her tone was lighthearted as she replied, "You flatter me," in a tone which clearly stated she thought the exact opposite, but not in a spiteful way.

As she stared at Eugene for a few moments, she suddenly noticed the lack of something which usually rested upon her head, and she frowned as she thrust her hand forward, waiting expectantly for her husband to comply. In response, the man only shrugged, beginning to look a little worried.

The last time Rapunzel had lost her crown and hadn't gotten it back, two weeks ago - to no fault of her Consort's, though it normally was - Eugene had been sleeping in the stables all night. The memory made him shiver; he didn't like the idea of being pounded to a pulp again by Maximus' powerful kicks. Granted, Rapunzel had felt bad the next day, but the dreadful night wasn't worth just her sympathy.

"Honestly, 'Punzie, I don't have it!" He pleaded her to believe him, but the girl simply huffed when she noticed that he was not giving her the crown, and, not taking into account whether or not he had it in the first place or not, she stormed off.

_Bloody hormones,_ Eugene cursed, and he slowly followed her back to the castle, his shoulders hunched. How on earth did this woman have so much power over him.

He shook his head, as he resigned himself to his fate. He'd better be extra nice to Max today, maybe he'd get him an apple or two - he'd need all the brownie points he could get to make it through the night with the horse.

As he walked inside, a certain little chameleon, sat high up on the wall, removed his camouflage and smiled, chortling 'hee hee hee' as the man went inside. Curling his tail tighter around the crown, careful not to drop it, he climbed down and scampered inside.

It was fun, pranking the Prince.

* * *

"Please, please, please Kristoff!" Anna begged as she pulled at his arm like a whining child, and her husband rolled his eyes as he shook his Princess off of him. Her face changed into a pouting expression. "Oh, come on! I haven't been with you to go ice harvesting in ages! I need a break from being the temporary Queen!"

Kristoff chuckled. "I'm guessing you sympathise with Elsa, then. Come off it- you haven't done any work since she left!" Anna opened her mouth to argue, and Kristoff quickly cut her off. "Sorry, Fiestypants - I'm afraid that ticking a few boxes for something you didn't even need to read first because Gerda already checked it over does - not - count for doing work."

Anna looked crestfallen. "How could you say such a thing? It was very stressful work!" Kristoff raised his eyebrows questioningly. "... Sort of!"

Sighing, Kristoff shook his head in submission. "I can't believe I'm saying this: fine, you can come along, on the basis that you do the work when you get back... deal?"

Anna looked very slightly perked up as she nodded, and pecked him on the cheek. "Thanks, Kris." She whispered, tracing the line of his jaw, "Love you."

"I must love you too, to be letting you get off without doing your work. God, I'm such a pushover." He chuckled, "Don't worry, though - I'm sure you'll have a great time helping me to move all of the blocks of ice!"

Anna's smiled drooped like a wilting flower, her eyes losing their shine, and she looked grumpy. "On second thought, I might just stay here." She said, "You know, get everything done so I have some free time later."

Kristoff grinned easily. "There's no getting out of it now, Princess - I'm a man of my word, and you're coming with me."

Anna groaned in frustration as she slouched against the sofa.

"You owe me big time, tonight." She whispered grumpily, and her husband laughed.

"Deal."

* * *

**First, for elsathesnowqueen, yeah, I was thinking about making a 'collection', so to speak, of the three stories... would that be allowed on here? Anyone who's a member, do you know if it's allowed?**

**Okay, quite a lot of people wanted more Kristoff and Anna scenes, so I thought I'd listen and add a little one. I couldn't resist adding a Eugene and 'Punzie one, either.**

**Also, before anyone says, 'Why is Rapunzel drawing a christmas tree when christmas was a few days ago', then i'll give you the answer: just for the hell of it. She's the Queen, don't argue with her xD**

**Anyway, challenge... Okay, this is one i've done before, but who cares, i'll go for it again anyway:**

**Choose your favourite two names (or your own name, I don't care) and re-arrange the letters to make a word (e.g. My name's Charlotte Elisha, so I could make car, late, stare, chariot, etc) and the most inventive ones will be included in the next chapter. If you could make computer, for example, then I'll have to do my best to find a spot for it!**

**Have fun, and please review :D (pretty please with a cherry on top? I made a death by chocolate cake last night, how about a slice of cake on top instead?)**

**-SG**


	47. 47 - dedicated to JuneBTeacher (guest)

_**Sighing, Kristoff shook his head in submission. "I can't believe I'm saying this: fine, you can come along, on the basis that you do the work when you get back... deal?"**_

_**Anna looked very slightly perked up as she nodded, and pecked him on the cheek. "Thanks, Kris." She whispered, tracing the line of his jaw, "Love you."**_

_**"I must love you too, to be letting you get off without doing your work. God, I'm such a pushover." He chuckled, "Don't worry, though - I'm sure you'll have a great time helping me to move all of the blocks of ice!"**_

_**Anna's smiled drooped like a wilting flower, her eyes losing their shine, and she looked grumpy. "On second thought, I might just stay here." She said, "You know, get everything done so I have some free time later."**_

_**Kristoff grinned easily. "There's no getting out of it now, Princess - I'm a man of my word, and you're coming with me."**_

_**Anna groaned in frustration as she slouched against the sofa.**_

_**"You owe me big time, tonight." She whispered grumpily, and her husband laughed.**_

_**"Deal."**_

* * *

Kristoff grinned as he watched his wife spinning around gracefully in front of him, the skirt of her dress flying up slightly in the air, and her hair had been pulled up into its normal formal style. She was wearing a bottle-green gown which was similar in design to the one she'd worn for her sister's coronation, and the corset top emphasized her perfect figure; from his position in the doorway, Kristoff had to look away quickly before he lost his mind to other, rather more _inappropriate_ thoughts.

Coughing to get his wife's attention, he waited patiently as Anna turned to face him, and she blushed slightly when she noticed that he'd been watching her. Smiling sheepishly, she headed over to him and placed her hand gently on his arm, and she giggled excitedly.

"Don't you look... Ravishing!" She said as he began to escort her out of the room, having to pause for a second to search for the right word to describe his appearance. "You can complain all you want, but you really do look handsome in uniform."

Kristoff chuckled. "Am I not handsome without it then?" He teased, and Anna rolled her eyes at him as she winked mischievously at the man, snuggling closer to him as she progressed down the halls.

This night was going to be amazing, Anna knew it, but she could feel that deep down, it wasn't just because she was excited for the ball she was heading to now. Something was going to happen and, for a change, it was going to be a _good_ development.

* * *

The young Queen sighed, as she looked out of the window at the street below, where crowds were beginning to gather, as people put up tables covered with cheeses, fish - including one massive smoked **eel** \- , breads, and other delectable snacks to be eaten that night.

Ever since she had returned home to her parents after Gothel's death, Rapunzel had quickly come to understand that having a street buffet was a traditional custom for the people of Corona on New Year's Eve. On the night, the people would all meet in the courtyard outside the castle, and would watch the largest clock in the kingdom for the hour to sound, and when it did, everyone would tuck into a delicious midnight feast. Every attendant of the celebration contributed something - Rapunzel, adamant that she would not simply watch from the side lines like her parents used to, had made a chicken pie for the occasion - and even the littlest children had fun making cookies or other simple cakes to offer up.

She shivered slightly as a cold evening wind wrapped its chilling tendrils around her, making her desperately crave the **sun**'s return, and she pulled her cloak more tightly around her body, her teeth chattering slightly. She felt a **great** sense of relief when a warm pair of arms snaked around her waist and drew her backwards into the comforting warmth of her husband's body.

"Hey, Blondie. What're you thinking?" Eugene's voice was smooth and soft as it drifted across the cool night air, and Rapunzel felt strangely comforted by the sound, although she couldn't tell why. She assumed it was just some strange twist of pregnancy.

"We need to go and see Anna and Elsa, and everyone over in Arendelle. We need to thank them properly for their help, and we still need to announce that we're having a kid."

Eugene opened his mouth, but Rapunzel just glared at him, predicting what was coming.

"No, before you say anything, I will not send them a letter to say that I'm pregnant!" She snapped, glaring, "This is life changing news and I want to tell them in person! Besides, I haven't seen them in ages and I'll get separation anxiety if I don't see them soon!"

Eugene raised his eyebrows, but, after a few seconds of staring off at his wife, he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, fine. I don't mind going to Arendelle, so long as it's _after_ the new year... Deal?"

Rapunzel looked ecstatic, as she bounced around and then stood on her tip-toes to kiss him, losing her scowl instantly.

"Thanks, Ryder," She teased, and he chuckled as he managed to swipe her crown. It was too easy sometimes, and after sleeping in the stables the other day, he felt strangely determined to actually snatch her crown. At least then it would be worth it, although sleeping in his own **room** was preferable. Maybe he'd be able to get away with it again...

In the end, Rapunzel didn't notice it was missing until the following morning anyway, thank God, so Eugene got off unscathed. He was rather pleased with himself, he had to admit.

* * *

Elsa grinned as she watched the approaching mass of land, feeling her heart fluttering with both excitement and nervousness. Freddie was laying quietly in her arms, sucking his fist vigorously as if he could sense his mother's elated emotions, and he was making soft, contented grunts every now and then, which made the woman holding him smile.

Elsa's head shot away from the window as she heard the door creaking open, and her eyes sparkled as she saw Odd entering with a little child following slowly behind. She smiled as she patted the seat next to her, offering for Mia and her husband to sit down, and she felt a triumphant sense of happiness as the young Princess did - timidly - rest next to her.

"Hey, Sweetie," she greeted warmly, but slowly, carefully. Over the past five days, with a lot of care and patience, Mia had slowly began to feel a little more relaxed around Odd and her Aunt, but it wasn't easy for her. Most of the time, she locked herself away in a small closet, in which she'd made herself a bed from clothes and small blankets that she found. There had been a bed made up for the child in Ida's small cabin, but she had broken into tears when the gentle maid had tried to get her to settle down in the same room as her, and had quickly run off.

Still though, after all she'd been through, no one could judge her. They just let her deal with things on her own, and in doing so, Mia had begun to slowly appreciate that they respected her and her privacy; the **veil** which hid her from everyone still remained, but no-one was going to make her remove it until she was ready to come out into the open once again.

"Are you okay, Sweetheart?" Elsa asked gently, and the young girl nodded slowly, whimpering slightly, but not making any move to run off, either; a good sign, so the Queen continued on with a touch more confidence. "Mia, you know that we are bringing you home, yes?"

Once again, she just nodded.

"Well... I want to tell you something," She began, and Odd sent her a warning glance, telling her to be careful about what she said. Elsa understood his reasoning - one wrong word, and all their work with gaining Mia's confidence over the last few days would have gone to waste. "Well, when we get back, your Mummy and Daddy will be there... I just need you to trust them, Sweetie. I promise you that they won't hurt you."

Mia whimpered again and slowly pushed herself off of the sofa, sitting down again on the floor a way away. Most people may not have minded much, but Elsa and Odd knew the significance of the gesture; though she still had some faith, if not much, in her family, the new revelation that she'd have to actually go near her parents seemed to break her resolve. Elsa couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever be able to trust them enough again to confide in them. Such traumatic events at such a young age would undoubtedly be ingrained into her mind now, and it would probably be instinctive for her to be wary as a result.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie..." Elsa began, but Odd shook his head at her quickly, and she grew quiet. She knew that her husband could understand the little girl on a much more personal level then she could - she was not going to argue with his reasoning, considering that he had been through tormented in a similar way as a child (although for much, much longer than Mia had).

Slowly, he stood up, and he tried not to look at his niece as he passed her, walking over to the chest of drawers, opening the second drawer from the top, and he pulled out a large glass jar, filled with a soft, pink sweet, covered in sugar - Turkish Delight.

Coming back to the couch, he sat down next to Elsa, and placed the candy in-between them, taking one out and cautiously extending his hand to his niece, leaning forward so that she didn't have to move much to get it. Mia looked at him with a frown, her eyes shining with suspicion, but she was still her mother's daughter, and she slowly reached out to take the sugary treat.

Holding it warily in-between her fingers, she sniffed it slowly, then tentatively licked it, testing. The sweetness coated her tongue and numbed her with a wave of pleasure, and she softly placed it upon her tongue, letting it rest there, before she closed her mouth and began to chew.

A small smile graced her lips as she scooted a little closer, and she opened her mouth as if waiting for more - the gesture made Elsa's heart melt, as she saw the girl acting like a normal toddler again, without the scars of trauma.

Taking one out herself, she copied Odd as she slowly offered it to Mia, who took the sweet and ate it with more confidence this time. It was strange, to be treating her almost like a skittish animal, but she didn't want to scare her.

Over the next twenty minutes, Mia slowly worked her way through the jar, and in the end, she felt rather full up and a little queasy. She eventually snuggled up on the floor next to Elsa and Odd's feet, and though she didn't quite trust them enough to curl up on the sofa with them, the fact that she'd actually gained enough faith in them that she could sleep in the same room - that, or the fact that she was too drowsy from her full stomach to notice - helped make the Queen and her consort feel a sense of relief.

There was still hope for the little Princess.

* * *

Anna grinned as Kristoff spun her around, dipping her as the song finished and the crowd clapped. His movements were anything but graceful, and he had nearly stepped on her feet multiple times, but being able to dance with him at a ball was something the Princess relished in. Normally, he would refuse - perhaps he was just having a strange day?

"Thanks, Kris," She whispered as she stood up straighter again, and her stomach growled in protest at not being fed. She giggled as she dragged her husband over to the snack table, helping herself to a sausage roll and and a rather delicious slice of chocolate cake - chocolate orange, in fact.

Glancing out of the window as she ate her treats, she frowned when she saw a black blob against the horizon, and then gasped as the doors to the ballroom were flung open by a very frantic looking Sven and Seier, both making a hell of a racket.

"What is it, bud- A ship!" Kristoff exclaimed, translating Sven's bleats, and he grabbed hold of his wife quickly, rushing over and jumping on, making Anna squeal in surprise. The guests simply watched with gob-smacked expressions as their Prince and Princess shot off, and then quickly began to follow after them in a mob of people, excited as to what was going on.

The stars twinkled overhead as Sven skidded to a stop at the docks, and Seier crashed into his legs clumsily as he let out a loud yelp. Lysse was not far behind either, and the little reindeer calf came crashing through the streets, somehow managing to scream in happy anticipation louder than anyone else.

Anna pulled a light pink **poncho **\- offered to her by a sympathetic woman who saw her shivers - around her body tightly to help battle the cold night air, and she frowned as she watched the ship - no, ships - approaching, and then a massive grin broke onto her face.

* * *

**Okay, this chapter is in two parts, so I've posted the second part too. Please read it and review... please?**


	48. 48 - dedicated to ElsaTheSnowQueen2

_**"What is it, bud- A ship!" Kristoff exclaimed, translating Sven's bleats, and he grabbed hold of his wife quickly, rushing over and jumping on, making Anna squeal in surprise. The guests simply watched with gob-smacked expressions as their Prince and Princess shot off, and then quickly began to follow after them in a mob of people, excited as to what was going on.**_

_**The stars twinkled overhead as Sven skidded to a stop at the docks, and Seier crashed into his legs clumsily as he let out a loud yelp. Lysse was not far behind either, and the little reindeer calf came crashing through the streets, somehow managing to scream in happy anticipation louder than anyone else.**_

_**Anna frowned as she watched the ship - no, ships - approaching, and then a massive grin broke onto her face.**_

* * *

_*** Urgent note at the bottom of this chapter! ***_

* * *

Elsa felt the ship come to a complete stop, and she stood up, her breathing heavy from nerves; she now understood Anna had felt when she had presented Mia to the kingdom for the first time.

Standing up on unsteady legs, she had to grip tightly onto Odd's arm to support herself, and he smiled before reaching down to pick Mia up. He was a little wary about doing so, but as the girl was asleep, they would not be able to get her off of the ship otherwise.

Slowly, he helped to lead Elsa over to the door to the cabin, out onto the deck, and he noticed the small snowflakes dancing in the air. Gripping her hand and squeezing it tightly, reassuring her slightly, the pair made their way outside at an almost pathetic speed, and eventually, they actually made it to the ramp leading off of the ship.

Mia squirmed in Odd's arms, and her eyes fluttered open when she felt the tension in the air, beginning to panic at the close proximity to her uncle, and he had to place her down quickly to try and conserve the trust he'd earned. She let out a breath of relief as she pushed a little away from him nervously, but when she saw the people who were waiting for her at the end or the ramp, she yelped and scurried back.

A murmur of confusion passed through the crowd, and Anna, watching the scene with squinted eyes, trying to see through the blackness, gripped Kristoff's hand tightly.

What was wrong with her baby?

Seier had clearly noticed her actions too, and he let out a quiet, wolfish bark as he bounded forward to the child. Mia screamed as she saw him coming, her mind going back when she'd been bitten by one of Hans' blood-hounds, and she quickly scampered back from him; but when the confused animal stopped and let out a whine of confusion, she realised that this wasn't the horror scene she'd been preparing for, that she had been living in before.

Smiling slightly, she called out, "Seier!" in her young voice, and was soon squished by her mother's pet as he licked her, and somehow, she wasn't scared by the close physical contact. She giggled slightly as she pushed him off, and the sound made Elsa's heart melt; the following cry of happiness made her even more giddy with happiness as Mia spotted her own little reindeer, and she stood up and toddled over to the calf, wrapping her arms tightly around her. Lysse let out a bleat of happiness, and an 'aww' rang out through the crowd.

Up until this point, the people had been too busy watching Mia's reaction to notice Elsa or her son, and she was glad that she'd had the extra minute to prepare herself. Still, though, it broke her heart in two as she watched as Anna bend down to her daughter's height, opening her arms as if waiting for a hug, only to be denied. Mia's face contorted into a panic again, and she ran back onto the ship, clinging onto Odd's leg as if her life depended on it.

As Anna's eyes trailed after her daughter, she noticed Elsa's stiff posture, and her gaze went higher, until they landed on the bundle in her arms. A gasp escaped her mouth, and she felt her legs go weak, everything confusing her. She felt Kristoff catch her as she fell, and she looked up at her sister with large eyes, needing an explanation for the new development.

Elsa took a deep breath, her heart beating fast, and she glanced over at Odd for support who, in turn, gave her a comforting smile and an encouraging nod. Trying not to shake so much that Freddie actually fell out of her arms, and then she opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Odd stepped a little closer and squeezed her hand, and she smiled at him, grateful for the slight boost of confidence, and then he made a quiet 'shush' sound, signalling to her to be quiet.

"Hey, Elsa," He said to her under his breath, as the crowd, "It's okay. I've got this; show the crowd Freddie, and I'll present him."

Elsa sighed with relief as she pushed her son forward to give the crowd a slightly better view of him in the dim light, and Odd spoke with a strong voice.

"Presenting your newest Prince of Arendelle, Prince Fredrik!" He called out, and the crowd was struck for a few seconds with shock that this was, indeed, Elsa's child, when she was but five and a bit months pregnant, but none questioned it any more and let out a cheer.

Mia whimpered at the loud noise against Odd's leg, and Seier whined sadly, looking at the girl with large yellow eyes, before letting out a wolfish sigh and trotting back over to Anna, sitting beside the stricken looking mother. Lysse bleated loudly over the murmurs coming from the crowd, trying to encourage Mia to follow her as she trotted back to join Sven, but the Princess just made a few incoherent sounds and looked away, cuddling closer to her uncle's leg.

He was the one person she felt she could truly relate with, and the person she trusted the most. He'd been through similar torment as she had - he understood her better than anyone else.

* * *

Anna was shocked when Elsa finished explaining what had happened to her to make her have Freddie so early, and she looked truly horrified when Elsa went on to explain what had happened before; when she'd been protecting Mia from the mysterious Sorceress.

"Oh, Elsa..." Anna whispered, and tears ran down her cheeks freely, her body wracked with sobs as she cuddled into her husband, burying her face in his chest, desperately clinging to the fabric of his shirt. Her muffled voice could just be heard. "Do you think Mia will ever trust us again?" She murmured, "After all she's been through?"

Elsa was about to answer, when the door was pushed open, and Odd came walking in, carrying a sleeping Mia in his arms. He smiled reassuringly at Anna as he came over to her and laid the child down in her lap, then went over to sit with his wife and resting son; Mia wriggled uncomfortably for a few seconds, as if her unconscious self was trying to get away from her mother in an unknown panic, but then she settled, and her breathing slowed.

Elsa smiled as she watched Mia cuddling into Anna contentedly, and she nodded. "I think there's a good chance she will, with time." She concluded, watching her niece clutch her mother's dress tightly in her grip, as if she never wanted to let go.

_Give it time, Anna. It'll be okay soon._

* * *

**Okay, I was disappointed last chapter. Out of about 250 views, only five of you - just five people - could find it in your hearts to leave a review. That's one in every 50 people or so... That's 2% of readers actually giving me some credit for this. Seriously? I know I've been late in updating recently, but has it not occurred to anyone that if you could spare 20 seconds to write a review, it inspires me to keep going? **

**I am very busy with school, and though I enjoy writing, I wouldn't have been able to do this without your support in the past. As it is, because of my lack of inspiration, I've decided to finish this second book now, and I'm seriously hoping that after reading this, you might be able to at least comment on something - good or bad, I don't mind, as both help me to improve.  
**

**After the lack of response, I'm not really that motivated to even do a proper challenge, but here's one for you to think about:**

**Show me that you want me to continue this story, and if I can see that people actually do want it, then I won't scrap the final two books (there is going to be a 2.5 which will be set in between this book and the last one). Otherwise I might not be motivated to keep going.**

**Sorry about all of this, but it's necessary. This will be the last proper chapter, but keep your eyes open for an update, which will have details about the next book, if I can get the encouragement I need to write it.  
**

**See you then, please?**

**-SG**


	49. Chapter 49

**Frozen Powers 2.5 is now up - look at my profile to find it! I'll see you there!**

**-SG**


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